


To Make It Through

by Faythren



Series: The Marked Chronicles [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Robot/Human Relationships, Sparkmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23487088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faythren/pseuds/Faythren
Summary: Sequel to When You FallIt’s taken years to clean up the mess left by Hydra. But Ari has managed, finally getting things just as she likes it. Of course, that’s when things fall apart again, a domino effect of events all tied together. What they mean, Ari doesn’t know. Just that she can’t let that final domino fall. Something is coming. Something that means to destroy them all. It’s up to Ari to figure out how to stop it, and it all starts with a talisman. And the Witwicky name.
Relationships: Chromia/Ironhide, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Elita One/Optimus Prime, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster/Thor, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Sarah Lennox/William Lennox, Sideswipe (Transformers)/Original Female Character(s), Sunstreaker/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Marked Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/585910
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. Final Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing Transformers or Marvel related.
> 
> I have returned! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I never meant for my hiatus to be more than a few months, but, well. Stuff happened. Including the death of a family member, which hit kind of hard. Honestly, the will to write at all was kind of difficult to find, though I did try to write other things for a bit. But now I have returned to Transformers and Move Along!
> 
> For the final chapter.
> 
> That's right. This will be the end. The final book of this story that turned out far more massive than I ever thought it would when I started all those years ago. It feels so long ago, writing bit by bit in my dorm room, posting chapters whenever I could. I've gained more readers than I ever thought possible and all of you have been following me so faithfully on this crazy ride.
> 
> So go onward with me, for the start of the last time.

Hydra left a lot of mess behind. A lot to clean up, to fix, so much that it sometimes seemed impossible.

Hydra destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D., butchering the leadership and putting into question the loyalties of everyone working for the organization. Agents were lost. Police. Government officials. Almost everywhere Ari looked, she found Hydra's rot, in almost every form of leadership and every level of government.

The president checked out. Thank Primus. Though he needs a new Vice President.

Then there's the mess Hydra created—Galvatron. Megatron reborn, returned to cause chaos and lead the Decepticons once again. He left a mess behind, too. Half the Triskelion destroyed, not to mention a good portion of Washington D.C. thanks to the Transformers he took control of. Lockdown certainly didn't help either.

Lives were lost. Homes destroyed. Megatron got away, but the Autobots, N.E.S.T., and the Avengers put an end to the Transformers, Lockdown, and Hydra. The world was kept from ending once again.

For once, the public didn't call for the Autobots' blood. This was an entirely human mess. One everyone has been working to rectify.

Five years.

It's taken five years to clean up what they did. But Ari finally has everything how she likes it. Maybe not the best place, but a good place. A place that has a chance of doing some real good.

Ari shifts around on the couch, trying to get more comfortable as her fingers dance across the tablet in her lap. Another report to send to the New Council on the latest batch of missions. Though, technically, they're not called the New Council. They're the International Leaders Committee. Which is a long, boring name for something that has the same basic function as the old World Security Council. They're a group of the world's leaders—set in a yearly rotation to keep things fair—and they tell their new organization what they can and can't do.

Ari scans the mission briefs, tagging a few for further perusal, sending two off for Coulson, and then outright dismissing the rest. The New Council likes to try to push for things, just like the old one did, but Ari managed to keep quite a bit of the power for herself.

At the cost of telling all the world's leaders she's the AllSpark. But the leverage she wields as a result of people knowing what she is—what she's capable of—has been more than worth it.

It's allowed her to root out the last of Hydra's taint.

It's allowed her the knowledge of who to trust while they rebuild.

It's allowed her to push the world's leaders into working with her when they would rather try to push her around.

Her knowledge mark has been very handy the past few years. And now they have a two-pronged organization, dedicated to protecting the world from any threats too...big...for normal authorities.

There's the S.H.I.E.L.D. side, basically the same as it once was, just without any possibility of Hydra. Phil runs it, now with Fury retired, handling the human side of things. The terrorists and the dictators and the spies who want to see the world burn.

Then there's S.W.O.R.D.—Sentient World Observation and Response Department. The replacement for N.E.S.T. and taking on more responsibilities than just Decepticons. They handle anything extraterrestrial, from unexpected visitors just stopping by Earth out of curiosity, to diplomatic missions, to the invasion-level hostiles. S.W.O.R.D. has two directors, Elita-One stepping in for the Autobot side in place of Optimus, and Will for the human side, officially retiring from combat to take on a more leadership role and allowing him to spend more time with his family.

The Avengers act as a special task force, going into action for the truly world-ending events. Which, thankfully, don't happen often. Though they do happen more often than Ari ever thought they did before she became privy to absolutely everything S.H.I.E.L.D. gets up to. When the world isn't ending, the Avengers keep busy, dismantling any traces of Hydra from around the world to make sure they can't secretly grow back from the ashes again.

And Ari. She isn't Autobot Ambassador anymore. At least, not only. She's in charge of it all, filtering through missions ordered down from the Council to hand off to the appropriate divisions, reporting back to the United Nations when needed, and keeping things running as smoothly as possible.

Director of International Security is what they call her, though technically she doesn't exist. The U.N. knows everything, of course, but the rest of the world has no clue about S.H.I.E.L.D. or S.W.O.R.D. or her. Not anymore. The world believes S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed, for their own peace of mind after everything Hydra did. And Ari has faded into the shadows, no longer directly speaking to the public. She has a press team for that now. The U.N. thought it better this way considering she doesn't age anymore.

Honestly, Ari feels relieved for the chance to regain her anonymity. People no longer recognize her just by walking down the street. Or, at least, it happens less often. In just a few more years, she'll fade into obscurity completely.

Yay, no more public speaking in front of cameras and massive crowds that make her skin crawl.

An email notification pings on her tablet and Ari taps on it, shifting again to tuck a leg underneath her.

"Stop fidgeting," Sideswipe mutters from where his holoform sits behind her on the couch, tugging lightly on a lock of her auburn hair in warning.

She sighs dramatically, trying not to lean in as his fingers work through her hair. "But you've been at it for forever."

"I'm almost done."

"You said that five minutes ago."

He leans forward, lips brushing slowly against the side of her face until they reach the shell of her ear. "Just read your email."

His breath ghosts along the side of her face, hot and chilling and sending a shiver down her spine. She contemplates ignoring him. Turning around and suggest taking a break for an hour or so. Especially after last night. And the last several nights before that.

The nightmares returned. Nightmares she thought she left behind a long time ago. Instead, they returned with a vengeance, leading to very little sleep lately. She's tried to get her mind off of it by focusing on work, but work only gets her so far.

She taps her finger against the side of her tablet. This email could probably wait. Probably.

Before she can decide, Sideswipe pulls back, fingers continuing to wrangle her hair like he isn't being completely distracting at all.

Amusement trickles along the bond like silent laughter.

No, he knows exactly what he's doing. Infuriating mech.

" _I heard that,"_ he says over their bond, fingers expertly weaving her hair into an intricate braid.

" _Good,"_ she replies. _"Then you know you're going to pay for this later."_

" _Looking forward to it."_

She snorts lightly, eyes skimming over the email absently. Her mouth downturns and she sighs, tossing the tablet down the couch in weariness.

"What was it?" Sideswipe asks, tying her braid off with a hair tie.

She turns around to face him, leaning an elbow against the back of the couch to prop her head up with her hand. "It was from Phil, suggesting that I take over extraterrestrial meetings. Again."

Sideswipe takes her free hand, tangling their fingers together. "You have to admit, it's a good idea. With the AllSpark, you'd be able to understand the language of any alien species we might come in contact with."

"I'm already in charge of two secret government organizations. When am I supposed to have time to play _world_ ambassador? Besides," she looks down at their hands, playing with the tips of his fingers, "I promised my dad a long time ago that I wouldn't do missions. I don't plan on breaking that promise now."

She made that promise when asking to do N.E.S.T. training. That was part of the deal. Her dad would let her train if she promised not to go on missions. She doesn't need to go looking for even more danger. It finds her enough as it is.

"Ari, these aren't exactly combat missions we're talking about. Like you said, you'd be an ambassador. A translator. Where's the danger in that?"

"When the aliens turn out to be hostile and try to shoot at us."

He shakes his head with a rueful smile, slipping a hand behind her neck. "Seriously. Sweetspark." He pulls her forward, placing a kiss to her temple. "Must you always go to the worst-case scenario?"

She smirks. "Of course. It's my job."

His smile slips away, face going thoughtful, almost hesitant. "What if it wasn't anymore?"

Ari pulls back abruptly, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean...is this really what you want to do with the rest of your life? Stuck behind a desk reading reports and mission files and dealing with politics?"

Ari's mouth gapes like a fish, trying to come up with an answer. And figure out where this is coming from. He's never been against her career choices before. Not Autobot Ambassador or what she does now. She's never imagined doing anything other than trying to keep the Autobots safe from the rest of the world. Sideswipe has always been supportive of her following this path, because this is where she feels she can do the most good. Despite her failings.

And she certainly feels like she's failed a lot. Some days, she doesn't even know if she's the best person for this job. But Primus and the AllSpark wanted her here. She accepts that and has embraced her role wholeheartedly.

But because of her bond with Sideswipe, being any kind of large distance from each other feels almost impossible. Like a weight getting heavier and heavier on her chest with each passing mile. They do it, when they absolutely have to, but for the most part—if she is here, then so is Sideswipe. Ratchet says it'll get better with time, as the bond grows and hardens and strengthens. They'll be able to be away from each other without discomfort. One day, decades from now.

But in the meantime, Sideswipe is stuck here, helping out around base whenever and however he can, usually by helping Ironhide train new recruits. Because this is where she is. It's never bothered him before, but...

Maybe it's starting to?

It's the only plausible explanation her tired mind can come up with. She tries to think of something to say—an apology or explanation or something, though none of that feels right—but a knock quickly raps on the door.

Lina pokes her head in, pausing when she senses the sudden tension in the room. "Uhh...," her eyes flit between them as she tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear, "I can come back?"

Ari hesitates, glancing up at Sideswipe through her bangs, but he just shakes his head. _"Later,"_ he tells her, squeezing her hand.

" _We're good, right?"_ she asks, sounding soft even across the bond, like the words themselves don't want to be heard.

" _Yeah, of course."_ He presses a kiss to her lips, slow and soft. _"This isn't anything bad, Ari. Just a thought I had."_

Lina gags from the doorway. "Yeah, okay, I'll come back."

Ari chuckles, shifting to sit properly on the couch next to Sideswipe. "It's okay, Lina, you can come in.

"No funny business while I'm here," Lina says sternly, plopping down on a cushy chair next to the couch. She sighs, crossing one leg over the other and picking imaginary lint off her slacks. "Not sure I can deal with lovey-dovey right now."

Sideswipe shakes his head. "Sunny still avoiding you?"

"Yeah." Lina's face screws up, long-held frustration brimming in her eyes. "The stick is still shoved firmly up his aft and he isn't letting me catch him so I can yank it out. And beat some sense into him with it."

"He's just scared."

"He's scared? This is my life we're talking about!"

"Lina, you want to do S.H.I.E.L.D. training," Ari says gently. "That's kind of a big decision."

"But it's my decision to make. I mean, what did he expect?" She spreads her hands out at Ari's office, the renovated top floor of the Triskelion filled with secrets the world knows nothing about. "Look at the world we live in. We're surrounded by spies and fragging aliens. We're friends with some of the most powerful people in the entire universe and we deal with terrorists on a weekly basis."

Lina propels herself to her feet, pacing back and forth along the carpet as she loosens her suit tie. "I've already been in several end-of-the-world scenarios, and I'm already a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I'm already part of all this. I've come to terms with the danger and the crazy. Why can't he?"

"You're a hacker, working remotely at a desk from here." Ari leans back tiredly, Sideswipe's arm draping across the back of the couch behind her. This is a conversation they've had several times already. So has Sunny. Repeatedly and loudly, but Lina's still determined despite the risks. "You're safe. Away from the bullets and the madmen."

"But the people I hack for are right in the thick of it." Lina yanks her tie off the rest of the way, wringing it in her hands. "I help agents get through locked doors or download encrypted files from secure systems while they're just sitting ducks, hoping I get done in time before they're caught. A lot of what I do could get done a lot faster if I was right there with them instead of having to do it remotely."

"Becoming a field agent is a big step. You shouldn't make it lightly. You need to think about how this will affect everyone."

That's what Ari had to do. Yes, it was about her and it was her decision to do N.E.S.T. training, but she had to think about how it would affect Sideswipe, the Autobots, her dad and the rest of her family. It wasn't something she chose on a lark.

Lina rounds on her with eyes of brimstone. "The only person this affects is me."

"That's where you're wrong," Sideswipe replies calmly, stoic as stone. "You and Sunny are sparkmates. You have a bond, right there, waiting to be formed. If you got killed while out in the field, what do you think would happen to him?"

Lina's jaw tenses, fists clenched at her sides. She holds his gaze for a few seconds in stubborn defiance. Then her eyes lower, shoulders slumping. "He could find a femme to spend his life with. He'll be fine without me. Gonna have to do it eventually anyway."

"You know that's not what he wants."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't really matter what we want," she sighs, sinking back down into her seat, staring at her hands as she plays with her tie. "I'm going to die way before him. That's just the way it is."

"But you're meant to be together," Ari says. They have the bond. Right there, waiting, just like Sideswipe said. It's not a maybe, it's a fact. But even without that...Ari can't imagine not being with Sideswipe. "Bond or no bond, you guys belong together. Why keep yourselves from that?"

Lina shrugs, draping her tie around her neck. "Hey, I told him I'm all for a relationship, even if we never do complete the sparkbond. It's Sunstreaker that keeps getting the hang-ups. I'm not about to let him dictate what I do with my life. I get that he's scared for me, if something happens. But he still goes out on missions from time to time. How does he think that makes me feel, knowing he could get offlined on any one of them? What he does is a lot more dangerous than what I'm asking to do."

"Just answer me one question," Sideswipe says, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to stare intently up at Lina. "Do you love him?"

"I don't know." Lina smiles sadly, staring down at her hands in her lap. "I can definitely see myself heading that way, if we'd give it a chance."

"Then loving him is going to take some sacrifice."

She firmly shakes her head. "No, that's not how love works. I shouldn't have to give up on my own dreams just to make him happy. Love isn't sacrifice. It's compromise. There's a difference. And right now, Sunstreaker doesn't want to compromise. We should be working through this together to find a solution but he just wants to push until he gets his way. I am so not down with that."

Sideswipe smirks, sitting back again. "Good. You keep pushing right back. Eventually, he'll realize that his way isn't going to work this time and start actually thinking with that big head of his."

"You're twins," Lina chuckles with a sly smile. "You do realize that means your head is just as big as his, right?"

"Hey!" Sideswipe pouts, giving her a playful glare. "I give you advice and this is how you repay me? Such abuse!"

"That wasn't advice, that was you telling me to just keep doing what I'm doing."

"Fine, fine, be a smartaft." He rolls his eyes but then sobers all of a sudden, brow creasing as he stares at Lina. "Can you do me a favor though? Don't give up on my brother. He does care about you. This is just…pretty far out of his comfort zone."

Lina looks away but nods, biting her lip. "I'll try, Sides. I'll try."

Ari hears the but in that statement, and she can't really blame her for it. Lina can try, but a girl can't wait forever. Not when they don't have a lot of time to lose.

Lina takes in a deep breath, letting it out sharply with a pasted-on smile. "Right! Well, thanks for the pep talk, but that's not the only reason I came in here."

"Oh, so you come see us for more than just a little fun?" Ari teases as she sits up straighter, mentally switching back over to work mode.

"Unfortunately," Lina deadpans, reaching into her jacket pocket for her phone and pulling up something on it before handing the device over. "Something was just picked up on our satellites."

Ari studies the map, a blinking dot indicating something moving towards planet Earth at a high rate of speed. Her first thought is meteor, but the path arcs in a way that can't be natural. "An Autobot?"

"I don't think so. We've tried hailing them on all Autobot frequencies, but there's been no response."

Sideswipe stiffens beside her. "A Decepticon, then?"

"Not necessarily," Ari muses, handing the phone back. "We've been getting a lot of attention lately from all sorts of extraterrestrial life. It could be a new species of alien that we simply haven't met yet, so they don't know our language. Do we have an estimated landing point yet?"

"Chicago," Lina answers grimly.

That one word sends a chill down Ari's spine, all the doors of the AllSpark rattling inside her head. Chicago, ground zero for one of the biggest fights between Earth and the Decepticons to date. Something beats inside Ari's chest, chanting over and over that it's not a coincidence.

Sparks race down her left arm, AllSpark mark glowing a soft blue.

"Ari?" Sideswipe asks in alarm, leaning back slightly so the sparks don't touch him.

"Sorry, sorry, just…." She closes her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath as she concentrates on the power bubbling up inside her. Exhaling slowly, she pushes the energy back where it belongs, the doors in her head quieting again. She opens her eyes, looking down at her arm and the sparks are gone.

"You okay?" Lina asks worriedly, thumb hovering over her phone. "Do you need me to call Ratchet?"

"No, no, I'm okay," Ari breathes, running a shaky hand through her hair where it's already starting to fall out of its braid.

Sideswipe rubs a hand up and down her back and she leans against him. "Sweetspark, are you sure? You haven't lost control like that since you were first learning about your powers."

"I know, but I'm okay. Really."

Because that wasn't her losing control. That was a warning. Whatever is heading for Earth, it's big.

She stands, moving to the back wall behind her desk and placing her hand on a hidden scanner that just looks like another section of wall. A light runs over her palm and then beeps, a panel opening up to reveal a hidden storage compartment for all her gear—all her little toys from her favorite spies, her guns, and her battle uniform, laid out on a mannequin.

"Call my team together, Lina," Ari says, reaching for her gun and inserting a clip. "I'm going myself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is going to move fairly quickly. It's the shortest of the series, and you know how I know that?
> 
> I have it all written already. :)
> 
> I wrote most of it during last year's NaNoWriMo, and all of this virus stuff has given me the time to finish it up. (Don't worry, I am fine and healthy and still, thankfully, working. I hope all of you are doing okay as well.)
> 
> I am going to do weekly updates, aiming for every Saturday. I will, of course, hold to tradition and post two chapters for the first day. So I'll be posting chapter 2 in a few minutes.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	2. Puzzle Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2, as promised. I'll let you get right to it and go onward and enjoy!

Even after all this time, Chicago still struggles to pick up the pieces. The government's done what it can, but some of the destruction was just too great. Entire city blocks were decimated by Decepticons, leaving buildings unrecognizable. Just crumbling skeletons of cement and steel. The city ended up fencing the areas off, abandoning them as a lost cause until the day they can go through with bulldozers to wipe the ground completely clean. It's a slow process since the area of destruction was so large. For now, the only inhabitants largely remain ghosts and reckless scavengers.

All in all, not the worst place for a spaceship to crash. Certainly, better than a busy city intersection full of more possible victims and witnesses.

Sideswipe pulls off to the side of what's left of the road, Sunstreaker, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bumblebee doing the same behind them. Stepping out onto the cracked asphalt, Ari surveys the area around them, eyes peeled for squatters and adventure seekers. The wired fence does little to keep out trespassers, she knows, but they don't exactly have the manpower to constantly patrol the area.

"Spread out," Ari calls over her shoulder, Evie, John, Trent, Rob, and Lina spilling out of the Autobots' alt modes. "Make sure we're alone."

"Why is she here again?" Sunstreaker asks as he transforms into his bipedal form, gesturing to Lina at his feet.

The others transform as well, Ironhide whacking Sunny on the back of his head. "Cool it, youngling," Ironhide grumbles. "I can smell the smoke from your processor overheating from here."

"Hey, it's a valid question!" Sunny says petulantly, rubbing at his sore head. "This could be dangerous."

Lina lets out a short huff, eyes never leaving her tablet. "Tracking the ship," she announces, ignoring Sunny's blustering completely. "Looks like it crashed already. Give me a sec. I'll use the satellites to see where it landed."

Bumblebee pokes his head out of a warehouse, calling out, "The area's clear! And I'm with Ironhide, Sunny. You need to chill out."

"Seriously," John agrees, eyes to the sky searching for a trail of smoke, a sign of something burning. "I've lived with a temperamental woman all my life. Ticking them off at every given opportunity is not good for your health."

"Excuse you," Evie protests, narrowing her eyes at her twin brother with a look that makes John haunch his shoulders. "This temperamental woman is about to kick your aft."

"Focus, guys," Rob chastises. "We can all give Sunstreaker love advice later. Sounds like he needs it. But later."

Sunny rounds on him. "Hey!"

"I've got it," Lina announces with a small smirk, a steady beeping coming from her tablet. "It went down three blocks east. This way."

Lina takes off down the street, everyone jogging after her. Sunstreaker skates ahead, glaring back at her until she rolls her eyes and slows down to a walk, allowing everyone else to catch up.

Ari places a hand on her shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. Lina wants so bad to prove herself to Sunstreaker—to everyone, really—but there's a fine line between proving herself and getting reckless. Ari wants to give her the chance. So long as she does it the right way.

Lina points to the next corner and they slow down, drawing weapons as they edge around the building. Ari's not sure what she expected. Autobots. Decepticons. A new species of alien looking to pick a fight.

She didn't expect this, though. A spaceship crashed into the side of a building, smoldering and banged up like crazy and covered in gun turrets like it's prepped for war.

And familiar.

"Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" Ironhide asks, arm cannon whirling softly.

"I'm with you, 'Hide," Trent says, rounding to the back of the craft. "Looks like a one-man ship. No sign that anyone's come out."

"And no obvious door or anything," Evie adds. "What do we do? Knock?"

"Here, boost me up," Ari says, holstering her gun as she steps towards the craft. Sideswipe lifts her by the waist, not letting go until she finds her footing on the slanted hull.

"What are you thinking, sweetspark?" Sideswipe asks, hovering close and ready to pull her off at the first sign of trouble.

"It's Cybertronian," she states, carefully shuffling up the craft towards a dome of glass that looks to be the cockpit.

"You're sure?'

"Definitely." She glances back at him, worry niggling in her stomach. "I'd say the same era as the ship Lockdown was flying around in."

His worry joins her own over the bond. "It's starting again, isn't it."

"I'm afraid it might be."

Everything's coming to a head. Everything they've been through, everything they've faced. It's all led to right here.

Ari wipes at the cracked glass, peering inside as her eyes strain to make out details.

What she sees makes her gasp in horror.

"Break the glass!" she shouts urgently, scooting back so Sideswipe can punch the glass in with his fist.

A Cybertronian sits inside the cabin, older than any she's ever met before. Even Jetfire. He almost looks like a samurai, his head and facemask having the same general shape as the helmet in a samurai's armor.

It's also covered in energon. The Cybertronian version of blood.

It gushes from a large gash in his chassis, sustained in the crash if she had to guess. Ari scrambles forward, pressing her hands to the wound. He coughs at the touch, air wheezing through his chest as his optics open. They shine a bright green, brimming with pain and desperation.

"Hey," she murmurs softly, giving him a gentle smile. "My name's Ari. What's yours?"

His facemask retracts as he tries to speak, but he only manages to cough again. This time energon spills out, dribbling down the side of his mouth.

"Okay, okay, that's okay. Don't try to speak." Electricity begins to crackle along her arms, her healing mark shining to life beneath her sleeve. "Just stay still. I'll get you all healed up in no time."

"N-No," he stutters out, in perfect English that surprises Ari enough to make her pause. "No…time."

She shakes her head, "But—"

"Not important." A piece of armor slides open in his chassis, revealing a hidden compartment. He reaches a hand inside, pulling something out. "This is all that matters."

She automatically holds out a hand as he presses something circular and cold to her palm. It feels like metal—Cybertronian metal—with some kind of cross branded on both sides. "What is it?"

"The t-talisman will p-protect you." His optics flicker, voice going choppy as he starts to fade.

"No, no, no." Ari brings the power of the AllSpark out again, stretching the sparks out to him. But he doesn't react. She can almost feel his spark pulling away from her, unwilling to be healed. "Please, I can help you, if you just let me."

But he doesn't want her to. She can feel the door to the Well of Sparks, calling out to him, and he goes to it gladly. He takes in a deep breath, using the last of his strength to utter more words she can't make out.

"What?" she asks, leaning forward to hear him more clearly. He tries to speak one more time, but it's too late. He slips away, joining his brethren in the Well.

"He's gone," she whispers softly, leaning back on her heels as she just stares down at the fallen knight. "He wouldn't let me help him. Why wouldn't he let me help him?"

"It was his choice, sweetspark," Sideswipe says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing more you could have done."

She nods, allowing Sideswipe to pick her up and place her sitting on his forearm. A part of her wants to dive into the Well, find his spark and ask him why he let go, why he came here, why he wouldn't let her help him. He could have lived. He could have kept living with them, made Earth his home like so many others before him, if he had just let her heal him.

Her fingers fiddle with the metal circle—the talisman, as he called it—rotating it in her hand again and again. He didn't care about living. He just cared about this. This piece of metal that he protected with his life. She stares down at it curiously, unable to understand how something so simple could be that important to him.

This is all that matters.

"He didn't seem to care about his own life," she mutters softly, almost to herself. She traces the cross with her thumb absently. It's not like the Christian cross, where one of the lines is bigger than the others. All the lines of this cross are even, symmetrical, something she swears she's seen before. "Just cared that he got this someplace safe."

"How'd he know you were safe?" Trent asks, strapping his assault rifle across his back. "No offense, but he didn't exactly know you."

"Maybe he saw the AllSpark marks?" Bumblebee guesses with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, you didn't have time to explain, but he couldn't have missed them and the sparking and stuff."

Ari shakes her head. "My sleeve's hiding the marks."

Why entrust it to her? How did he know she'd be able to keep it safe?

Can she? Or will she fail again?

"Guys, I don't mean to alarm anyone," Lina says, tone even and low as she taps at her tablet, "but I'm picking up a known energon signal nearby."

Ari freezes, using her peripheral vision to scan the area around them. A known signal can only mean one thing—Decepticon. "Who?" she asks, lips barely moving.

If he's close enough for them to pick up a signal, he might be close enough to overhear them.

"Our favorite police officer."

Sideswipe growls across the bond, body subtly bowing around her. "Barricade."

They stay gathered around the wreckage, trying to act as naturally as possible. Barricade. Megatron's right hand man since Starscream got offlined in this very city. Ari raises a hand to her comm, using it to talk to everyone since it's quieter. "Anyone have eyes on him?"

"I've got movement at my three o'clock," John reports, gripping his gun tightly. "Don't see anyone else. Think he's alone?"

"Possibly." Ari tucks the talisman into her pocket, patting it in reassurance. Barricade has to be here for a reason. And the only reason to be here would be the crash. The ancient Cybertronian. And this talisman. It could be just a coincidence—him and Megatron curious about the unknown mech landing on Earth—but her instincts scream at her that he's here for this talisman.

What is so special about this thing?

Maybe the Decepticons know.

"Ironhide, you got that new tech with you that Tony and Wheeljack have been working on?" she asks.

Ironhide's arm clicks a few times, the ammo for his cannon switching to a different kind. "Yep."

"Then on the count of three, I want everyone to fire on Barricade, Ironhide first. Make sure you hit him before we scare him off."

Sideswipe helps Ari climb up to his shoulder so he can use both hands, allowing Ari to reach her gun as well.

"One."

Sunstreaker crouches to his knees, placing himself closer to Lina and shielding her with the bulk of his frame. She doesn't even complain this time, just presses herself against him and ready to run if she has to.

"Two."

Ari's ears twitch at the sound of tumbling rocks behind her. Everyone grips their weapons, tensing as they ready themselves.

"Three!"

Everyone pivots. Barricade crouches halfway behind a crumbing pillar holding up the remains of elevated tracks from the "L" train. Ironhide fires, missing at first, but it surprises Barricade enough to make him back away from the debris.

Ironhide's second shot hits him right in the shoulder. Not enough to offline him. But that wasn't the point.

Everyone else fires, then, spraying the area with bullets. Barricade stumbles backwards, falling on his aft before scrambling to his feet and transforming into his police cruiser. They keep firing as Barricade speeds away. No one gets in a good shot, but they act like Stormtroopers. Trying to hit their target and being really bad at it.

Purposefully bad.

"He gone?" Evie asks, lowering her weapon. They don't chase after him, letting him get away. For now.

"Looks like," Lina says, switching screens on her tablet with Sunstreaker still mostly bent over her. "The shot was good, 'Hide. Tracker's working perfectly. He's moving away from us at a steady pace and I'm not picking up any other energon signals."

"Excellent," Ironhide smirks, putting his cannon away. "Once he crawls back into his hole, maybe the listening device built in will help us get some answers."

"So long as he doesn't find it first," Ari sighs, rubbing tiredly at her temples. It's going to be a long couple of days. She can already tell. And on already little sleep, too. "Let's head back to base. There's nothing more we can do here."

"Then what?" Rob asks, waiting for Ironhide to transform back into his truck alt mode and opening the door. "What do you think's going on?"

"Not sure." She fishes the talisman out again, staring down at it like it will just spontaneously jump up and reveal its secrets. "But it all has to do with this."

Hopefully they'll be able to figure it out, before it's too late. The thing is, she'd feel a lot better about it if Optimus were here. He'd be better at guarding this thing. She looks to the sky, clutching the talisman tightly.

Please, Optimus. Come home soon.

* * *

Ari struggles against her bindings, the ropes rubbing painfully against her wrists and ankles. The more she tries to yank her arms away, the more it burns. But she has to get away. She can't let him do this. She can't let him do this to her.

Not again.

Her eyes dart frantically around the darkness, trying to see where he lurks, trying to find something. But there's only shadows.

Where's Sideswipe? Why isn't he here to save her? He's always saved her before.

Fingers brush against her ankle, making her jump. She tries again to flinch away but the ropes only tighten. The hand travels up her leg in a way that's supposed to be slow and sensual but only makes her gag. It tip-toes over her stomach, slipping beneath her shirt to her chest and she cries out. Begging. Pleading.

Not again. Please, not again.

The fingers dig into her stomach and it burns. It burns, fire etching across her skin. Marking her. Leaving a reminder so she'll never forget.

"You're unwanted," he growls in her ear. "Unimportant. Undesirable. No one cares about you and never will. You are _nothing_."

Brightness flashes across her eyes, as blinding as the sun and just as warm. A familiar presence reaches out to her and suddenly her bindings vanish.

" _Sideswipe…."_

" _I've got you, Ari. I've got you."_

Sideswipe wraps around her, holding her close and taking her away from _that man_ and his cruel words and the pain. Sideswipe's light shines all around her, burning brighter and brighter until she can open her eyes.

* * *

Ari takes in a sharp gasp, blinking up at the worried face of Sideswipe's holoform. She reaches up a hand, running her fingers through his dark wavy hair, and the tightness around his blue eyes eases a little. The tightness in her chest eases as well as she focuses on his face, his alt mode around her, his presence over the bond.

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

"Hey," he whispers softly, pressing a kiss to her palm.

She crooks a tired smile. "Hey." She shifts in his lap to sit up a bit more, tucking her head beneath his chin. His arms tighten around her, his presence over the bond just as strong, and she feels the lingering fear fade completely. "Thank you."

"You never have to thank me for this." His voice rumbles beneath her ear, hand skating along her back in soothing circles. "You alright?"

"Not really," she replies honestly. It's the same dream again. She keeps having it, every night, for the past several months now. It just started up again out of the blue.

The dreams about Ron. About what he did to her.

She thought she had moved on from it all. He's been dead for years. The incident itself happened even longer ago than that. Why does her head insist on playing it on repeat again? She hasn't even thought about the man in a very long time, so why now?

Well, whatever the reason, she doesn't have time to worry about it. They have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Bigger things to worry about than her lack of sleep.

Sideswipe pulls her closer, nuzzling against the top of her head. "You don't have to push yourself so hard, you know."

"Maybe," she mumbles, feeling the cargo plane rock around them as they come in for the landing. "Later, at least. But right now, I believe we have a job to do."

They file out of the plane onto the tarmac. The sun is just starting to set over DC, painting part of the sky a bright orange-red. Like someone has taken hold of the sky and slowly lowers it in blood, drenching the pale-blue in red. It dribbles onto the city, coating the building faces and reflecting back at Ari in the glass.

This city, this planet, these people, they've all seen so much blood these past few years. Ari fears they're about to see more of it, despite S.W.O.R.D.'s and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts. But that's why the Triskelion never sleeps. They constantly work—constantly fight—to keep everyone safe, because the darkness out there knows no schedule.

And they will do whatever it takes to make sure no one else has to dip their hands in red.

The war room is the busiest part of the base, the nerve center of both their operations with agents working at dozens of computer stations laid out in concentric semi-circles, all facing a large monitor at the back of the room. As Ari leads her team through the bustling people, she overhears handlers giving orders to agents in the field, rescue missions underway, backup teams being deployed, intel gathering, and tyrants toppled.

This is hers. Ari made this. Every day, she becomes more and more proud of them. And she'll need them all now more than ever.

"Tell me you have good news, Wheeljack," Ari says, climbing a scaffold that puts her eye level with their resident Autobot genius.

Wheeljack turns away from the massive monitor depicting a map of the world, shooting her a manic grin through his beard. "My technology is working perfectly and we have Barricade's location. Is that the news you wanted to hear?"

"Hey!" Tony Stark gripes, rising from the conference table atop the scaffold to shoot Wheeljack a glare. " _Our_ technology, remember? Part of that's my handywork."

Wheeljack rolls his optics. "It was my ingenuity that made the tracker so small."

"But it was my ideas from the Iron Man armor that allowed us to put it in a bullet that kept the tracker from exploding on impact."

"Boys!" Ari snaps, giving them both a look that she picked up from Natasha. Knowing what's good for them, they snap their mouths shut. "You both did a fabulous job. But only if we have sound?"

Tony returns to the table and his laptop, typing out a few things that changes the view on the big monitor. It zooms into the United States as he works to zero in on the tracker's location

"How long until Darcy gets back?" a voice asks behind them, coming up the stairs. Will steps up on the scaffold, the sleeves of his white collared shirt pushed up to his elbows and tie pulled loose at his neck.

A part of Ari's heart tugs down even as her lips pull up at the sight of her dad.

Time doesn't touch Ari but it's started to touch him.

The lines of his face have started to crease a little deeper. Gray peppers his short-cropped hair along the sides of his head. He left combat behind, not just for his family, but because he's starting to slow down. Time pulls at him. Drags at him. When it won't even get close to Ari for a long, long time.

She'll be here a long, long time after he's gone. And her mother. And her sister. And all of her human friends—family.

She takes in a sharp breath, clamping down on those thoughts before Sideswipe can hear them. Or before they show on her face. Now's not the time for that. Later. There'll be time later.

"Hey, dad," Ari greets, happily going to him for a warm hug and clinging just a little bit tighter than usual. "You counting the seconds until their babysitter returns?"

"Darcy is not our babysitter," Wheeljack sniffs petulantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "She is the base's head Scientist Wrangler."

"That's her official title, yeah," Will says, pulling back but still keeping an arm around her shoulders. "Though I'm thinking about changing her title to 'babysitter' with the way you two act."

"She looks after Foster and Banner, too, you know," Tony throws over his shoulder, never looking away from the computer.

"And they like to act like children sometimes, too. Seriously, Annabelle was more well-behaved at the age of two than you guys are sometimes."

Ignoring their squawks of protests, Ari tilts her head back to look up at Will, roving her eyes over his wardrobe pointedly. "So, still not liking the suits, huh?"

Will sighs. "I don't know how you and Phil do it, staying in the monkey suit all day. I feel like this tie is going to choke me any day now."

Ari snorts. "Me? I get out of the formal wear every time I go back to my office. Don't put it back on unless someone tells me someone official is coming or I have to go to a meeting. But Phil? Yeah, I don't know how he does it either. Some of the baby agents suspect he's secretly an Autobot in disguise. Can't say I blame them."

Will chuckles, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "It's good to have you back, kiddo. How'd the mission go?"

Her nose screws up in displeasure. "Not so great but not horrible, I guess." She plops down at the head of the conference table, the rest of her team and Will joining her as well, with Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack standing around them. She pulls out her Autobot pendant from under her shirt, pressing the black button for the comm. "Elita, can you join us in the war room, please? I get the feeling we're about to be very busy."

::I am on my way,:: she replies, her petite pink form sauntering through the door to join the other Autobots a few moments later. She places her hands on the scaffold's railing, standing tall as the leader of the Autobots despite standing no taller than Bumblebee. "Update?"

"It was a Cybertronian ship. Unfortunately, the Cybertronian didn't make it, but he did give me this." Ari pulls out the talisman, holding it out for everyone to see. "Barricade was there as well. I'm guessing, coming after this."

"Do we know what it is?" Elita asks curiously.

"No clue." Ari places it on the table with a frustrated clack on the glass top. "I poked and prodded it the entire way back. Nothing. There's writing written around the circumference—Cybertronian writing—but the AllSpark refuses to translate it for me."

A tense silence surrounds the table. They all know what that means. Every time the AllSpark refuses to cooperate with her and won't show her something, that means something very big and very bad is coming. And Ari is meant to prove herself to the AllSpark and Primus in some way.

This feels worse, though. So much worse.

"Got it," Tony's voice suddenly breaks through the tension, startling them out of their thoughts. He looks up from his computer with a triumphant smirk. "The signal from that bug you planted on ol' Barricade is coming in loud and clear. And before you insult me again, yes, of course we have sound."

He presses one more button and then a voice comes through the room's speakers, a voice Ari knows all too well.

"The staff is hidden on Earth," Megatron rumbles, a deep growling that vibrates in Ari's own chest. "We'll find this staff."

"That voice," Will mutters, face a few shades paler. "I can hear it in my nightmares."

Ari grabs his hand on the table. Squeezing tightly. "You're not the only one."

"Report," he orders someone, probably noticing Barricade. "Tell me you have found the talisman."

"I saw it," comes Barricade's sniveling reply. "A dying knight gave it to a human. That insufferable Witwicky girl that stole the AllSpark from us."

Ari grinds her teeth together. She left the Witwicky name behind a long time ago. Apparently, the Decepticons never forgot it. And won't let her forget it.

There's enough of that going around already in her dreams.

"There were too many Autobots and soldiers with her," Barricade continues, sounding like he's trying to be careful, tactful. Ari hopes Megatron rips him a new one. "They spotted me and I—"

"You let the talisman get away!" Megatron yells in outrage, followed by banging that sounds like it hurts. "We must have it! Without the talisman, we cannot find the staff."

"I know who can lead us to it."

Ari can practically hear Megatron's pleased grin, razor-sharp teeth glinting madly. "The Witwicky girl."

Ari fails to suppress a shiver and Tony turns it off, the somber air thickening like smoke. "Well," he says, running a hand roughly down his face before gesturing at the laptop tiredly, "anyone know what the Pit this staff is they're talking about?"

"Knowing Megatron, it is probably some kind of weapon," Elita says with certainty, and Ari definitely can't argue with that. If Megatron is interested in it, he plans on using it to hurt people. "We can't let him get his hands on it."

"He's going to be watching us," Will reminds them. "It's like he said. We could end up leading them right to it."

"We could always just lock the talisman up somewhere," Rob suggests, propping his elbows up on the table. "If they really need it to find the staff, then we just make sure they can't get the talisman. That'll stop them in their tracks."

Ari's AllSpark marks suddenly light up like Christmas lights, flickering and pulsing as blue sparks crackle up and down both arms. She let's go of Will's hand in alarm, pushing back in her chair away from the table and everyone.

An urgency fills her chest up like a balloon, so full it feels like she'll burst from the inside out. But the feeling isn't hers. It isn't even Sideswipe's. It feels like it comes from the AllSpark itself.

"Ari?" Will asks worriedly and Ari shakes her head frantically, pushing further away.

"I got it, I got it," she tells them, shutting her eyes shut tight as she focuses on the AllSpark power trying to spill out of her doors. "Just…give me a minute."

It's harder this time, getting the AllSpark power to settle down. She has to practically drag it back inside herself, the sparks hissing and biting like vipers. Wanting to act. Wanting to do something.

But what? What does the AllSpark need to do?

Ari's panting by the time she gets the power back under control, gripping the armrests of her chair so tight her knuckles turn white. "I don't think we can just sit on this," she huffs out, breaths a little short. "We need to find the staff."

"You need to go see Ratchet," Sideswipe insists, curling his fingers around her chair like he can physically keep her body okay. "Seriously, sweetspark, that's not normal."

"I don't think Ratchet can help me with this, Sides," she says gently, running her hand along whatever part of his arm she can reach. "The AllSpark wants us to act. We can't just tuck the talisman away and ignore it."

Alarms go off all around the room, loud and blaring and flashing the walls in red. The main monitor changes to an image of what looks like a desert. A large, metal obtrusion rises out of the sands, people already starting to gather around it in curiosity and awe.

"Okay, who added the pointy metal landmark?" Rob asks no one in particular. Or maybe everyone. "I'd remember something like that from the Discovery Channel."

"Lina, what is going on?" Ari asks, getting to her feet to stand next to her friend whose fingers fly across her tablet more frantically than ever before.

"I don't know," Lina says, voice tight as she tries to remain calm. "It looks like some kind of metal horn, a couple stories tall. It just rose out of the ground like it's been buried there, all this time." Her eyes suddenly round, lifting up to stare at them all. "There are dozens of them, all across the planet."

"How could we not have known they where there?" Will demands, hand flying at the screen. "Someone couldn't have just buried them there overnight. They had to have been there for a while."

"Years," Ari says, growing worry tightening her chest. "Thousands of years, if I had to guess. The picture's a little fuzzy, but those are definitely Cybertronian markings covering that thing."

"Cybertronian?" Ironhide balks. "I've never seen such a thing."

More alarms go off, Ari's worry quickly sinking towards dread. "Now what?"

"Incoming object," Lina announces, eyes scanning her tablet before shaking her head in disbelief. "This can't be right. NASA says something's traveling through space at a high rate of speed but…they say it's the size of a planet!"

"Coming from where?" Ari asks, leaning over her shoulder to get a look at the coordinates. Ari's brow shoots upwards. She recognizes that area of space. "That's Cybertron."

"Cybertron?" Bumblebee says, voice going low and vulnerable like only talking about their decimated home planet ever does. "Cybertron is moving? On its own?"

"And coming here?" Sunny adds in.

This is all moving so quickly, far more quickly than she anticipated. Moving planets and mysterious objects and Megatron coming out of hiding. Puzzle pieces. More puzzle pieces to a grand picture encompassing everything they've been working towards since the beginning. It all fits together somehow.

She's solved all the other puzzles before. She can make them all fit together now.

Ari places her hands on the table, palms flat and looking at them each in turn. "This all has to be connected to the talisman. And it sounds like the world-ending kind of bad. I propose a full assembly."

Will's mouth presses to a grim line. "The rest of the team is still in New Mexico with Jane and Darcy, overseeing their new tests for the space bridge. They're not due back for a few days."

"We can't wait that long." Ari stands straight, staring intently at the image of the giant horn reaching towards the sky. "Call Phil. Tell him we're coming to them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you've noticed, but this fic is going to be largely based around Transformers: The Last Knight. And, obviously, I'm making a lot of changes. No Cade, no Autobots on the run, no evil humans chasing them everywhere. Also, no Vivian. Taking Vivian out alone got rid of, like, half the movie when I started outlining. It gave me a lot of wiggle room but that's also probably one of the reasons this fic is so short. But that's not to say it won't be action-packed, and it will hopefully wrap up this series nicely.
> 
> Next chapter, as I said, will be next Saturday. We'll have the rest of the Avengers assemble and our mad leprechaun will make his first appearance.
> 
> I have to admit, writing Cogman was kind of fun. XD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	3. One Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everybody. Nice to see some familiar names in my inbox again. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out today. Be patient, it may take me a bit to get back into the swing of things. It's been a while, after all.
> 
> Since it's so late here, I'll go through the comments I've gotten so far tomorrow, but there is one thing I would like to address since it came up in several comments and this will save time.
> 
> There have been several people who have asked if several different characters (namely Autobots) will be in this fic. The answer, to all of those, will most likely be no. If I added every single one of those characters, this fic would have well over 30 characters in it. Maybe even over 40. That is a lot more than any story needs. This series already has more characters than I would usually use under normal circumstances. It's already a struggle to give all these people some "screen time" in a manner of speaking. To add more characters, and more screen time, would run the risk of diverging from the main plot of this story too much. I'm not one for going off on tangents, especially for a story like this with such a linear plot and not a lot of wiggle room for the characters to have free time to do other things. So no. I picked just a handful of the characters I wanted to work with, something I was comfortable with, and I've already got everything nice and balanced and how I want it.
> 
> Sorry to disappoint, but that's just how I work.
> 
> Alright, so! Go onward and enjoy!

Ari forgot how beautiful the desert night can be. Nevada has more grasslands than desert, but they both have that same endless expanse of near-nothingness that makes a person feel all alone in the universe. Being in the middle of that—in the middle of that nothingness—some can find it suffocating. That level of aloneness, being so far from civilization.

Ari always found it so peaceful.

It's one of the things she misses from her time growing up out here. Most people just see the endless darkness, but really, it's not that dark. With the lack of light pollution, so many more stars come out at night, lighting the nothingness up like a swirling galaxy of light and color, right at her fingertips.

Puente Antigo sits nestled in the middle of the desert and stars, holding a population of people so small that most barely consider the place a town. From what Ari sees of it as they fly over, it looks just a little less rundown than the towns in old westerns. But it acts as the home base of one astrophysicist and her assistant.

They discovered aliens out here, before Cybertronians were known to the rest of the world. They discovered instantaneous space travel. They've accomplished so much in this middle-of-nowhere town, and they plan on accomplishing more here as they work on building their own method of space travel.

Though the town isn't the location of their actual test runs. The people of Puente Antiguo don't know how thankful they should be for that. Because Jane is just as prone to explosions as Tony.

They find Jane's van parked in the middle of the desert, near the same location where Thor was first spit out by the Bifrost—the Asgardians' version of instant space travel. Jane describes it as a space bridge, capable of transporting a person from one planet to another in the span of a breath. Not so unlike the space bridge created by the Cybertronians that the Decepticons used during Chicago.

According to Thor, the Asgardians' version is a lot better, and Jane works tirelessly to create her own version for humans to use as well.

Tony brings the quinjet down next to the van, the cargo plane carrying the rest of the Autobots on their team taxiing to a halt nearby. Sideswipe backs his alt mode out of the quinjet, allowing Ari and Tony to exit as Elita, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Sunstreaker, Rob, John, Evie, Lina, and Trent get out of the cargo plane. Everyone else not already on mission is back at base, awaiting news and orders for whatever they need to do to stop the end of the world.

Again. Seriously, the world needs to stop trying to end every couple of years. That would be nice.

"Do you think it'll always be like this?" Ari muses as Sideswipe transforms into his bipedal form, kneeling next to her. "The constant world-saving again and again?"

"Primus, I hope not," Sideswipe sighs heavily. "I'd like the chance to slow down eventually."

Ari arches an amused brow at him. "What, you want to retire someday or something? Buy a house in the countryside? Play golf and watch TV every afternoon and yell at kids to get off our lawn?"

He glares at her playfully. "No, I don't want to settle down like some little old married couple. I'm not exactly little, neither of us are going to get old anytime soon, and all that bland normal-ness would be too boring for us anyway. But..."

She can feel a thread of seriousness tremble along the bond and she cocks her head up at him curiously, the night breeze picking up the strands of her hair that have escaped her ponytail. "What?"

His bright blue optics flit over her face, searching for something. Ari wishes she knew what. "Do you really want to do this for the rest of your life? Saving the world, risking your life, and when you're not doing that, sitting stuck in an office dealing with thickheaded politicians all day?"

There it is again. A question to her lifestyle, her chosen profession, what she's vowed to do and protect for the rest of her life. None of this has ever bothered Sideswipe before, but suddenly it does, and Ari can't help but feel her spine straighten in defense.

This is what she's always wanted. She's done some serious good these past few years, and Sideswipe has always stood by her side, supportive and encouraging.

What's changed?

Someone calls her name, making Ari frown. Ironhide waves to them in the distance, where Jane has several pieces of her bulky equipment set up in the middle of a circle of spotlights.

"Don't worry about it, sweetspark," Sideswipe says with a disappointed smile. "We'll talk about it later, after we've figured all this out and the world isn't ending anymore."

"But," Ari's chest grows tight, a sickening feeling growing in her stomach, "Sideswipe, are you sure you're okay?"

What if he's not happy with this life he has with her anymore? What if he doesn't want this anymore? What if he decides to pull away and leave her behind?

"Hey, hey," Sideswipe says softly, picking her up to hold her to his chest with her now completely eye-level with him. He wraps his presence around her over the bond as well, enveloping her in warmth and reassurance and all of his love for her. "Sweetspark, Ari, I love you, alright? Nothing's ever going to take me away from you."

She ducks her head down, chewing on her bottom lip as she idly traces a finger along a piece of metal on his shoulder. "I love you, too, but...are you happy?"

"More than. I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life." He presses his lips to hers, increasing their connection over the bond and making her feel like she's burning up on the inside, a lovely way to burn. "I'm just making sure _you_ _'re_ happy is all."

Ari's brow furrows, trying to puzzle out his meaning as he sets her on the ground and they walk over to join the others.

Happy? Of course, she's happy. She has all she's ever wanted out of life.

Right?

"Hey, kiddo!" Clint greets her enthusiastically, scooping her up in his arms and lifting her off of her feet. Ari giggles as he spins her in circles, any worries leaving her mind as her pseudo-big brother plops her down again. "Long time no see. You keeping everyone out of trouble?"

"Oh, I'm managing," she replies, giving him a devilish grin. "It's a lot easier when you're not there."

He huffs in mock outrage. "Now, just what are you implying, young lady?"

"That you take all the trouble with you," Natasha replies for her, giving Ari a hug next. "It's good to see you, _sestrenka_."

"You as well, _sestra_ ," Ari hums happily. "Though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I feel like you say that a lot," Clint says, hiding his worry behind a smirk, but Ari knows him too well to be fooled. "So is a planet really on its way to kill us?"

"I don't know if it's on its way to kill us, but Cybertron is definitely coming here," Ari confirms.

"Slag," Phil mutters under his breath, coming up behind them wearing the ever-present suit. "I was really hoping you were exaggerating that part."

"Afraid not, Agent," Tony quips, clapping his hands together like a school teacher rounding up children. "So let's pack up our bags, everybody. We've got places to be, mysteries to solve, and planets to stop mid-flight. That means you, Foster!"

Jane grumbles something as she fiddles with the dials at one of her machines. Knowing how her and Tony can be together, probably not something nice.

"Seriously, Foster, we need that science-y space brain of yours! Wrap things up here."

Jane ignores him, going to another machine and jotting down readings in her notebook.

Ari sighs deeply. "Thor, convince her to stop? Please? Usually, I'd let her just stay here with a couple of agents, but last time she tested her space bridge she opened up a portal to Jotunheim."

And that is why Jane has Avengers-level backup fully geared-up in superhero attire. For any potential ice-trolls. Or whatever. Luckily, it's the middle of the desert and it's hot. The ice-trolls did not make it far at all. However, there's no telling where the portal will open up to this time. Maybe she'll hit Asgard, her intended target.

Or maybe it'll be somewhere even more dangerous than Jotunheim.

"I am sorry, Ari," Thor says, his Asgardian armor clinking as he gives a sheepish shrug. "You know my Jane. Once she has started, it is difficult to make her stop until she has finished her current task."

"Hold up!" Darcy clambers out of the back of the van, giving her sweater a tug and straightening her glasses before walking briskly towards Jane. She pats Thor's shoulder as she passes. "Don't sweat it, big guy. I've got this. Come on, Bucky!"

Bucky hops out of the van after her, also straightening his shirt while running his cybernetic hand through his chin-length brown hair in an attempt to tidy it. All eyes turn to him, then Darcy, then back again. He notices and grumbles, "What?"

"Nothing!" Steve says quickly, clamping a gloved hand over Tony's mouth before he can say anything. "Nothing at all."

"Buck, a little help!" Darcy calls out, looking over the generator powering the spotlights with a determined furrow to her brow.

Bucky looks them all over suspiciously before wordlessly skulking off to help Darcy.

Tony shoves Steve's hand away, hissing, "How long has that been going on? Why was I not told? I'm her boss. I should know these things!"

"No, Tony, you're not entitled to know these things," Natasha informs him blandly. "Also, you're not her boss. Pepper's her boss."

Clint leans back against the bumper of the van, fiddling with one of his arrows. "Yeah, from what I hear, Pepper's a lot nicer boss than you ever were."

"And where did you hear that? I'm a fabulous boss! Don't believe everything you hear, birdbrain."

Clint snorts. "I heard it all from Pepper."

Tony's mouth snaps shut and then he shrugs unapologetically. "Okay, yeah, everything you hear from Pepper is probably true. But what about Terminator and Short Stack, huh? Why wasn't I informed? Who's been holding out?"

Sam shakes his head, adjusting the straps to the Falcon pack on his back. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who didn't know. They're not exactly being subtle."

Ari rolls her eyes. As far as she's aware, Darcy and Bucky have been seeing each other since shortly before team astrophysics—including Jane, Darcy, and Bucky—came back from London four years ago. Jane packed them all up to travel across the pond right after the whole Hydra fiasco calmed down. Several months into their stay, they started getting some strange readings, corroborated by Jane's colleague and long-time mentor, Eric Selvig.

Then there was another world-ending event in the form of randomly-appearing portals, another Infinity Stone, and alien Dark Elves.

That had been fun. Especially with the intergalactic incident of the Queen of Asgard, aka Loki's and Thor's mom, getting severely wounded. Luckily, both Thor and Loki were there and managed to save her.

But the whole thing settled something inside of Bucky, helping him to move on from his past, the horrible things he'd done—been forced to do—and it helped him move towards a brighter future.

A future with Darcy. She's been in his corner since day one and has continued to be by his side ever since.

Of course, none of that is Tony's business, since all he'll do is tease them relentlessly.

"So!" Elita says loudly, easily talking over Tony. "Thor, Loki, how's your mom?"

"She is doing well," Loki replies cordially, a mischievous glint in his eyes as Tony pouts. "She wishes that Ari would come and visit. Thor has regaled her with many tales of your adventures and she is quite curious to meet you."

Ari blinks. Frigga, Queen of Asgard, wants to meet her. "Slag, Thor, what did you tell her about me?"

Thor smirks. A smirk he's learned from his brother. Never a good sign. "All good things, Ari, I assure you."

"You really should come visit soon." Loki all out grins now, making Ari nervous. "I can show you and Sideswipe around. Perhaps we could even plan some small mischief for the palace. It has been too long since I last put Father and the guards on their toes."

Thor's smile completely vanishes, panic widening his eyes as he holds up a cautious hand. "Now, Brother, I'm not sure that is such a good idea. Father is under enough stress lately as it is."

"Nonsense. A good prank or two would do him some good, I believe."

Sunstreaker grins. "Hey, don't forget about me, now. Sides and I together are the original Kings of Pranks."

"And if they're going, I'm going," Lina demands, propping a hand on her hip. "Give me enough of a heads up and I'll pack some glitter."

Loki cackles in delight. "And googly eyes, please. I want to super glue some to Father's throne. And maybe his eyepatch if I can manage to steal it from him long enough."

Ari blinks, just trying to imagine the look on Odin AllFather's face. With a googly eye. "I am so torn between wanting to stop this, as an ambassador, and wanting to instigate it as soon as possible."

Sideswipe's humor trickles over her along the bond. "You know you want to instigate. I don't need a bond to figure that out."

"Please, don't," Thor pleads, placing his palms together and just short of falling on his knees to beg. "I have been trying hard to soothe my Father's worries. Not add to them."

Ari bites back the teasing remark sitting on her tongue. It is rare for Thor to ever actually beg. "Everything alright, Thor?"

Jane squawks in outrage as all of the spotlights go out at once, enveloping her and her machines in darkness. Darcy and Bucky hold up a couple of wires in triumph, giving each other a high five. "Come on, Jane," Darcy says, using her stern mommy voice. "Time to pack up the toys. We've got other places to be."

Unlike when Tony does it, Darcy is a lot better at scientist parenting.

"But my work!" Jane protests, squinting in the little light the stars provide to try to read her notebook. "I've been planning this for weeks! We can't just stop now."

Darcy approaches cautiously, switching to soothing as she tries to coax Jane into compliance. Bucky stays right at her shoulder, ready to heave the small scientists on his shoulder to bodily carry her away if it comes to it. The rest of Ari's team goes over to the equipment, subtly packing it away while Jane's distracted. The Autobots make it quick work since they can easily haul the large machines in a single hand.

Thor sighs deeply as he watches them, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "You know that I love Jane dearly."

"Of course, we do," Sideswipe says, exchanging surprised glances with Ari. Thor is always so happy, lively, jovial. To see him so morose is almost surreal.

"I wish to marry her," Thor murmurs softly, as soft as a dandelion seed floating on the breeze, carrying a wish he's not sure will land where he wants it to. Where he needs it to. "Jane is the most amazing woman—the most amazing person—I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She makes me…better. She helps me see the good in myself I thought wasn't there, and she has no qualms about telling me when I do something wrong. I cannot imagine life without her. I wish never to find out."

"Then propose," Ari says without hesitation, finding no reason for him not to when he feels so strongly about her.

It's what she did, after all.

"Alas, I cannot." Thor sighs heavily again, twirling his hammer around in his hand with suspiciously glassy eyes. "I am to be king of Asgard one day."

"Yes." Ari crosses her arms in front of her chest, not sure where this is going. "Yes, we know."

"It means Jane would be queen," Loki explains gently, the gentlest he's ever been where his brother is concerned. "She'll be queen of all of Asgard and the Nine Realms."

Ari's eyes widen as she lets out a mumbled, "Oh."

The corner of Thor's mouth upticks slightly. "Yes, oh." His mouth then falls again, further than before. "Most kings marry for political reasons. This is how our father and mother wed. The match was arranged by their parents, our grandparents. Meaning…."

"Meaning he can't marry just for love," Loki finishes for him. "The potential queen of Asgard must be approved by the AllFather."

"And Odin won't agree to let you marry her," Sideswipe puts together, his sadness and grief for their friends mixing with Ari's. "He doesn't see her as worthy?"

Thor closes his eyes, shaking his head. "No, he does not. My happiness is not a good enough reason to allow it. And so, I cannot propose. Not unless I can change his mind. In the meantime, I spend as much time with her as possible, simply enjoying what little time we have together."

Ari's chest tightens even more, realizing what it is he's getting at. Asgardians live for thousands of years, much longer than the human lifespan. If Thor and Jane wed, Jane would be granted permission to eat of the Idunn Apples, a special fruit that grows only in Asgard capable of extending the lifespan of any non-Asgardians who marry into the royal family.

Without that, Jane will die so much earlier than Thor. It's Ari's own fears all over again, before she knew what the AllSpark would do to her. It's something Lina and Sunstreaker are battling themselves now.

Why can't all of her friends just have the happiness they've always wanted without having to jump through so many hoops?

Jane stomps up to them, yanking the longs sleeves of her plaid shirt over her hands as she grumbles, "So, I hear the world's ending again?"

Thor smiles softly. "It would appear so, Jane."

"It couldn't wait another day or two?"

"Nope," Ari says, trying not to laugh. Jane's so much like a kid who's had a toy taken away. Though, everyone is still packing up all her equipment behind her back. "Sorry, Jane, but this really cannot wait. There's a literal planet headed our way."

Jane just blinks, huffing out a breath through her nose. Ari wonders if she really doesn't find it surprising or, considering the lives they lead, it's just that nothing really fazes her anymore. "What do you want me to do, fire my space bridge device at it and hope it gets blasted to the other end of space?"

"Considering what happened last time, how about we leave that as a last resort," Loki dryly comments.

"We're all packed up," Darcy declares, slamming the van doors closed and placing her hands on her hips with a satisfied smirk. "So where to?"

Blaster fire zips overhead, narrowly avoiding Sunstreaker's head and making him duck. Everyone turns as more shots beam out of the darkness, hitting the ground around them in a shower of sparks.

Five figures slink in the darkness, each sporting glowing red optics.

"Decepticons!" Ari shouts, drawing her gun. "Bee, get the girls out of here!"

Before they can protest, Bumblebee scoops up Lina, Jane, and Darcy, transforming into his alt mode with the three of them nestled safely inside as he barrels through the desert away from the continued blaster fire. One of the Decepticons tries to go after them, but Sunstreaker shoots him in the shoulder, making the 'Con stagger to a halt.

The rest of them fire back, Tony tapping the arc reactor on his chest to activate his Iron Man armor. Liquid metal slithers along his body until the armor solidifies around him. He, Thor, and Sam then take to the sky to offer air support. The thing is, the rest of them have almost no cover, sitting ducks in the middle of the empty desert. They try to hide behind Jane's van, but it's not enough space for all of them.

"We can't stay here!" Steve shouts, crouching to make himself as small as possible behind his circular shield. Blasts spray against the metal, so hard the force of it makes Steve slide backwards through the dirt on his knees.

"Phil, call the local S.H.I.E.L.D. base!" Ari orders, shooting off shots whenever she can from behind Sideswipe's leg. "Tell them to evacuate Puente Antiguo. We'll fall back to town for cover."

He presses a finger to his ear comm. "On it!"

"I'll buy you some time," Bruce growls, so low his voice shouldn't carry over the fighting. But it does, raising the hairs on the backs of Ari's arms. Ari's head snaps around, catching sight of his burning green eyes and the tinge of green dancing just underneath the surface of his skin.

Bruce is angry. Very angry.

He pushes away from the van, walking out in front of everyone to stand between them and the Decepticons. With every step, he lets that rage he always carries inside himself boil over, ready to scald anyone in his path. His muscles bulge as he grows in size, skin fully turning to a deep green as the Hulk takes over.

Hulk roars, thumping his chest like a gorilla before making a giant leap towards the Decepticons.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Ari shouts, not seeing where Hulk lands but trusting he can handle it. She takes off in the direction of town, the others falling in line around her. As they run, the Autobots easily overtake them, each of them scooping humans up as they go. Sideswipe grabs Ari around the middle, transforming around her until she ends up in the driver's seat of his alt mode.

"You alright?" he asks, voice streaming through the speakers as they race towards town.

Ari turns in her seat to look out the rear window, none of the Decepticons following them yet since they're a little preoccupied with a giant green rage monster. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'll be better once we take a few of these guys out."

They only get about a mile away when Ari sees the writhing mass of struggling bodies break up into five big blobs in the darkness. Hulk still roars, so she knows he's probably okay, but the 'Cons are back on their tails.

Sideswipe fishtails to a halt in the middle of the small town, the main street completely deserted of people or noise. The agents worked fast in getting everyone out. Good.

Because this is probably about to get messy.

Everyone scrambles out of alt modes, heading for the surrounding buildings for cover. Ari crouches in an alleyway, steadying her breathing as she clutches her gun tightly.

All of this fighting stuff, it never really gets any easier.

The sound of shifting metal drifts over the deserted streets, followed by the stomping of heavy feet. Ari chances a glance around the building's corner.

Three Decepticons she doesn't automatically recognize, plus Barricade.

And Megatron.

"Search the streets!" Megatron bites off at his mechs, the Decepticons splitting off into the alleys and rooftops. He grins, teeth gleaming in the streetlights. "She's here somewhere."

Ari slips back into the alley, pressing her back against the brick wall.

Well, frag.

::Ari, I think they're looking for you, girl,:: Rob whispers over the comms.

Ari breathes out slowly, squeezing her eyes shut tight. "Yeah, I got that, thanks."

Just what kind of trouble is she in this time? What the frag is going on?

Something scuttles across her side and she swats at it, thinking it's a bug, but her hand hits metal. Looking down, she swallows a scream.

The talisman grew freaking legs, using them to crawl up her body like a spider.

"What the frag, what the frag, what the frag!" she mutters under her breath, swatting at the thing and trying not to panic, but this is reminding her way too much of Scalpel crawling on top of her for dissection.

Maybe that was a Decepticon who gave her the talisman after all?

She swats at it again and it leaps, latching onto her wrist and transforming into a ban around her arm. It constricts painfully around her, almost burning, and she yelps, falling to the dirt as she tries to yank it off. She scratches at it with her fingers but she can't get even a nail underneath, it's so tight. Then it slips under her uniform sleeve, sliding up her arm like mercury and out of sight.

But she can feel it moving around her under her clothes. Not painful anymore—thank Primus—but definitely...weird.

" _Ari?"_ Sideswipe asks along the bond, poking at her frantic thoughts. _"Ari, what's wrong?"_

" _I don't fragging know,"_ she answers honestly, trying to soothe him along the bond even as she tries not to panic herself, _"but I don't fragging like this thing anymore."_

"Ari Witwicky!"

Ari's head snaps up at the sound of Megatron's voice, just now realizing she rolled out of the alley when she fell.

Well, frag.

His red optics narrow at her. "I need that talisman!"

She may not like this thing, but she certainly doesn't want him getting it. She points her gun and fires, just missing an optic. She pulls the trigger again and again. He raises a hand to protect his face, staggering back with a frustrated growl.

Movement out of the corner of her eye makes her head turn up, gun swiveling with her and she takes a shot at the Decepticon on the rooftop above her. This time, she gets the optic, shooting it out with a crackle of electricity and a pained cry. An arrow zips overhead, one of Hawkeye's trick arrows, and it explodes when it hits its target to take out a good hunk of the 'Con's shoulder.

Ari rolls to her feet, metal debris hitting the ground where she once laid, but she doesn't look back. Just takes off down the street while reaching for her comm, "We need to keep the talisman away from them!"

Falcon zooms overhead with his wings, firing his guns at a Decepticon to Ari's right. Everyone else engages as well, explosions going off behind her, but she just keeps running. ::What are you talking about?:: Sam asks. ::What talisman?::

"It's a long story," Ari huffs, crouching behind an abandoned car. She peeks over the hood and let's off a few rounds, hitting something important in a Decepticon's chassis down the street that makes sparks fly everywhere. Sideswipe then comes at him from the side, and with a few quick swipes of his blades, the Decepticon goes down.

::Do you still have it on you?:: Sunstreaker asks, leaping down from a rooftop to tackle a Decepticon trying to sneak up on Sideswipe.

"Yeah, it's...," she slips her fingers into the collar of her shirt, feeling metal sliding over her skin like a liquid second skin, "it's kind of attached itself to me."

There's a tense pause. Ari can't really hear it, but it's definitely there. ::Please explain, little one,:: Ratchet says tightly.

"I don't know, it's literally on me right now, and I can't take it off."

Something shoves into the back of the car she crouches behind, sending it careening into a storefront. Ari slowly stands as Megatron looms over her, sliding her gun into its holster.

"Hello, insect," he says, grinning madly like a rabid wolf.

She tilts her chin up defiantly, pressing the jewel on each of her bracelets to activate her blades, and smirks. "Hey, 'Tron-y. Fancy seeing you here."

His smile vanishes with a growl. "Give me the talisman."

"Sorry, not happening," she retorts, clenching her fists.

He raises a hand, fingers curled like claws. "Then I'll rip it from your corpse!"

"I don't think so." Ari leaps forward, rushing between his feet. His claws swish past her, sliding against the back of her shirt and barely scraping against the light-weight Kevlar. She lashes out with her blades, snagging at the energon tube in the back of his leg. Energon spills out, making his entire right leg seize.

Megatron snarls in pain and outrage, swinging an arm out wildly at her that she dodges easily. He staggers to his knees, bringing his gun around and firing.

Ari cries out as it hits her in the shoulder, making her fall back. But the pain she expects never comes. She pushes herself to her feet, staggering to a dumpster as she hears someone tackle Megatron behind her. Plopping down behind it, her fingers search her shoulder where she was hit.

She finds a hole in her uniform, going straight through to her skin. But her skin is fine. Intact. Unbloodied. No sign of a wound at all.

Just the talisman, still slithering over her skin.

Ari realizes what it is now. It's not some sort of parasite. It's armor. It moved to where she was going to be hit just in time to shield her from the blast.

"Ari!" Sideswipe skids to his knees beside her, optics scanning her over for injuries as his presence envelopes her over the bond. "Ari, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replies softly, still surprised that it's true. "Yeah, I'm okay. The talisman, it...protected me."

Just like the mech who gave it to her said it would.

Sideswipe helps her to her feet, keeping his hand at her back while she finds her balance again. Megatron's call for retreat echoes between the buildings behind her and she snorts.

Fragging coward. Though she's not really surprised. These weren't the best soldiers he's ever sent after them. He must have had slim pickings.

The thought makes her pause, turning as she watches Megatron, Barricade, and only one other Decepticon make a hasty getaway.

How many more Decepticons are left? Is it really so few?

"A leprechaun?" a British voice says with a mechanical tinge to it that Ari's learned to associate with Cybertronians. But not a voice she recognizes.

She turns, brow furrowed, to find a Pretender Cybertronian, the size and shape of a short human man and optics glowing blue. His armor's old—showcasing the dings and scuffs of centuries of wear and tear—but instead of making him a dingy kind of old, he appears more antique and sophisticated. Though that sophistication diminishes a bit in the face of him glaring down the group of soldiers and superheroes gathering around him in trepidation.

"Leprechauns are tiny, green and Irish," the newcomer sniffs, hands on his hips as he stares John down exuding all the disapproval only the British can, "and that is offensive."

"Dude, seriously, who are you?" John asks, gun only partially raised. "Blue optics are only going to get you so far, here, buddy."

Iron Man lands next to them with a solid _thunk_ , the faceplate lifting to reveal Tony's face. "I say we tie him up and deal with him later. We've got enough robot baddies to deal with."

"Yeah, shouldn't we be going after them?" Clint asks, idly pointing the tip of his bow in the direction the Decepticons ran in.

The Cybertronian shakes his head rapidly. "No, no, no! There is no time for dilly dallying. We have much more critical matters to attend to."

" _Now what?"_ Ari asks Sideswipe over the bond, shoulders dropping in a slouch as she puts away her blades. Just what she needs, more drama. She has enough on her plate already.

" _Don't know,"_ Sideswipe says, not really caring either way. He picks her up, now that the excitement is over and they're—for now—safe again. He presses his face against the side of her head, nuzzling gently. _"You're sure you're alright?"_

" _Promise, Sides."_ She presses a kiss to his brow, sending him all the reassurance she can muster. _"This talisman, whatever it is, kept me safe. I don't know what it's for but…I guess it's not all bad. Though it still won't come off."_

" _Do you need Ratchet to look at it? Or maybe Tony?"_

She chuckles, nudging him over the bond to let her down and he does. _"Tony looking at it is definitely a bad idea. It's not doing any harm, so let's deal with one wrinkle at a time."_

Starting with their unexpected guest. Ari straightens her spine, she and Sideswipe walking over to join the others. "Just let them go," she tells them, jerking her head towards the retreating Decepticons. "He's right, we've got more important things to worry about."

The Cybertronian perks up at the sight of her, turning to give her his full attention. "Ah, Madam Ari! I have been sent to collect you."

Ari stops short, keeping a good distance between them. "Collect me?"

"That is correct."

"You're not collecting slag," Natasha says in a low tone not to be trifled with, raising her gun to point at the mech's forehead.

He drops into a fighting stance, blue optics blazing with fury. "Oh, you want to play rough, do you? I'll show you rough. Rip an arm off a human and they'll go wherever you want."

"I don't think so, pal," Bucky says casually, taking one of the mech's arms with his own mechanical limb and twisting it painfully behind the mech's back.

"Ow, ow, ow!" The mech struggles, but he's not going anywhere. "How rude, ow! Let go of me!"

"How about we try that with you, huh?" Bucky says, a deadly calm lurking beneath the innocent question. "Rip an arm off a mech, do they answer our questions?"

"Leave him alone, guys, jeez," Ari sighs, patting Bucky's shoulder. Honestly, they're all a bunch of overly-dramatic mother hens. She gives him a little push and he relents with a shrug, letting the mech go.

Natasha doesn't lower her gun though. Ari contemplates for a second, but with one look at the stoic agent's blank face, she decides to let the Black Widow have her way.

Ari approaches the mech cautiously as he shakes out his arm, laying a casual hand on her own gun strapped to her thigh. "Alright, let's try this again, shall we? What's your name?"

He glares at Bucky one more time before turning fully to face Ari again, standing to his full height like a proud servant. "My name is Cogman, madam, and I am here because of that."

He points to Ari's arm and she lifts it to see that the talisman has come out from under her clothes, shifting around now on top of her sleeve.

"And that," he continues, "is here because of you. It will not leave you until your quest is fulfilled. You have been chosen."

"What do you mean, 'chosen'?" Ari asks, rubbing her left arm right above her marks. "You mean, the AllSpark?"

"No." He shakes his head, surprising her that he knows exactly what she's talking about. "Though it does have to do with why the AllSpark chose you. I will explain everything if you'll kindly come with me."

Why the AllSpark chose her? That's something she's questioned since the beginning. She's asked Optimus, she's asked the Primes, she's tried searching through the wealth of information and knowledge locked behind the AllSpark's many doors. She's even tried praying to Primus himself, hoping he can hear her through the AllSpark somehow.

Why her? Why a sixteen-year-old human girl, insignificant to the world and the universe? Why would she be trusted with something so important and all-powerful?

Not even Death would tell her. But now, maybe, she'll have her answers.

"You really going to listen to this C-3PO rips-off?" Ironhide asks, poking Cogman in the side.

"Don't kill the messenger," Cogman replies primly, reaching out and grabbing Ironhide's finger, "or the messenger will kill you."

He twists, forcing Ironhide's arm back like Bucky had him. Ironhide lets out a pained yelp, falling to the ground in an undignified pile to get out of the hold.

Natasha huffs in what would be an all-out laugh when not in agent mode, putting her gun away. "Nice, 'Hide."

Ironhide grumbles as he gets back to his feet but Cogman ignores him, looking at Ari imploringly. "I'm afraid all this ballyhoo is on your account."

He spreads out a hand, indicating the damage and danger they've brought to this small town, and Ari really looks at it for the first time. No people were hurt, but they've done a number on the buildings. More things to be rebuilt, because of them.

Because of her, if Cogman's right.

"If you want to save your friends," he says, "you will leave them."

"Hey, we can keep ourselves safe, you know," Rob says, hands on his waist. "She doesn't need to run off with some random crazy ninja butler."

"Your friends will be safe in your absence," Cogman continues like he wasn't interrupted. "In your presence, unsafe. You are more important than you can possibly imagine. You are needed, madam. Urgently. My master is fond of saying that all the important decisions in life often come down to just one moment."

One moment.

She remembers the moment that started it all—does she get in the car? Does she trust Sideswipe? Does she go with him and dive into this crazy world of his?

Her answer then was yes.

Frag yes.

She leaped off that cliff and has been happily falling ever since.

But what about this moment? Does she go with Cogman, trust him, and hope he gives her some of the pieces she needs to complete this puzzle before Megatron does something they can't come back from? Before they have another Mission City, Chicago, DC?

"What do you want to do, Ari?" Sideswipe asks, kneeling at her side with acceptance beating down the bond. "I'm with you every step of the way."

She stares up at him, into those blue optics she loves so much, clenching her fists at her sides. "I think...I'm going to go. I think I have to."

As soon as she says the words, it feels right, a sort of contentment curling in the bottom of her stomach. Like something—or someone—is happy with her decision.

But where will it lead? Someplace dangerous, for sure. World-ending, definitely. And she can't face it alone.

"However," she turns back to Cogman, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly, "my team comes with me."

Cogman scowls, raising a finger like he's prepared to argue but she cuts him off, "We do this together, Cogman. Rob's right, they're not damsels. They can handle themselves, and we very well may need all the help we can get."

His scowl deepens, but he relents, grumbling, "They will have to find their own ride, then. They won't all fit in mine."

"That's fine, Lucky Charm," Tony says, earning himself a death glare. "Just tell us where to."

"I will send you the coordinates." Cogman turns, waving at Ari over his shoulder for her to follow. "Come. My transport is this way."

He leads them to the outskirts of town. They turn the corner around a building and then stop, staring at Cogman's mode of "transport" parked in the middle of the desert. Ari's never seen anything like it, some kind of old-style plane shaped like an arrow with a sort of facetted glass dome at the front where the cockpit should be, an antique like Cogman.

"Is that an old World War II bomber?" Steve asks, something tight in his voice. "I haven't seen one of those since...," he swallows heavily, Adam's-apple bobbing in his throat, "since I went into the ice."

Ari swallows as well. This is the sort of plane he was flying when he crashed into that ice. When he left his whole world behind in order to stop Hydra the first time.

"It's alright, punk," Bucky says softly, squeezing his best friend's shoulder tightly. "We ain't going in that. Ari and Sideswipe can go with the leprechaun in the bomber, we'll take the quinjet and cargo plane."

"I'll head back to DC," Phil says, already raising his phone to his ear. "I'll talk to the Council. Let them know what's going on and get you approval for whatever you need."

"Remind them that I'll do whatever it takes to save the world," Ari tells him, arcing a brow pointedly. "Even if that means going against whatever orders they try to give. They may like to think they know what's best, but when it comes to Cybertronian stuff like this, they really don't."

Phil smirks. "Understood."

She'd like to see the Council try to push her around. But she's pretty sure they know her well enough by now not to attempt it. Either way, she'll do what needs to be done, no matter what they say.

She raises a hand to her comm, "Bumblebee, it's safe to come back. We made a friend and it looks like we're going on a little trip. The girls can get a ride back to DC with Phil."

::Yeah, I'll let you tell Lina that part,:: Bumblebee replies. Ari cringes. Lina so wants to join the rest of them, but Ari's not sure she's ready. Her heart's in the right place, but that'll only get Lina so far. However, she knows what it's like, that need to prove herself. ::So how'd you manage to make a friend all the way out here?::

"It's the leprechaun version of a Cybertronian," Tony quips, ignoring Cogman's scathing remark in Cybertronian. "He says he has answers."

"The leprechaun's fishy if you ask me," Rob murmurs.

"I am not a leprechaun," Cogman whispers under his breath, stalking off towards the back of the plane to open it up.

Ari rolls her eyes. This is going to be a long flight. It fragging better be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was definitely a long one. I just couldn't find a good point to break it up. Call it a proper apology for it being so late in the day. XD
> 
> Next week we land in England and you get to see some of the major changes I've made from the movie. I'll try to get it up at a better time this time.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	4. Birthright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back for our next installment! Honestly, I had such a hard time with this part of the story. So many ideas and emotions mixed up in here. So many different ways to utilize the opening the movie left for me, that the Witwicky family is part of all this Merlin stuff. I did know one thing for certain, though, especially since this is the last book in Ari's story.
> 
> In a series like this, the end always ties in with the beginning. And for Ari, that's Ron.
> 
> So go onward and enjoy!

Ari jerks awake, still feeling the hands running over her body even as Sideswipe's hands work to soothe the memories away. Her heart races a mile a minute, fear prickling down her spine.

"Ari," Sideswipe whispers softly, the face of his holoform nuzzling against the top of her head, "I'm here. You're safe. It was just a dream."

She takes in a stuttered breath, trying to hold the tears back as she buries her face in his neck. She's shed so many tears over it before. That man doesn't deserve any more. Curling the fingers of one hand in the front of Sideswipe's shirt, her other hand falls to her stomach as she whispers, "It's been so long, Sides. Why isn't it going away this time?"

"I don't know," Sideswipe murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. It's just," she sighs deeply, exhaustion pulling down at her, "the same as usual."

"I know." He holds her closer, stroking his fingers through her hair and thankfully not saying the thing they're both thinking. The thing they both know to be true.

The nightmares probably won't ever completely go away. It's something she'll have to carry every day for the rest of her life. She'll never be able to escape it, no matter how much she wants to.

"We're here, by the way."

She lets out a sleepy groan. "I don't wanna."

He chuckles, the vibrations of it going through Ari's cheek and instantly making her feel better. "Sorry, sweetspark, but we've got things to do. Worlds to save. You know, our usual day jobs."

Primus, she's just so tired. "Can't I call in sick?"

"Unfortunately, I think you're the only applicant for this position."

The talisman shifts under her shirt again, sliding along her abdomen, and she thinks he might be right. Doesn't matter how she may feel right now, how good or bad a sleep she got, she's still got to move along if they're all going to make it through this thing.

Bracing herself, her eyes crack open, squinting against the sunlight streaming in through Sideswipe's windshield. The back cargo hatch of the bomber plane has already been dropped down, letting in the morning sun. Grass sways in the breeze but she can't make out anything else through the door's opening from here. "Where are we?"

"England," Sideswipe replies, scratching the back of his head, "somewhere in the countryside. So I guess that doesn't make him a leprechaun, huh?"

Ari shakes her head, trying to hide her amusement. "Stop trying to antagonize Cogman. He's riled up easily enough as it is."

"Aww, come on, Ari." His lips pull into her favorite lopsided smile. "It's so much fun."

She takes his hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't take off your arm like he tried to do to Ironhide."

"Fine, fine." He leans in for a proper kiss, nibbling at her bottom lip slightly and making her shiver. He barely pulls back, lips moving against hers. "Take the fun out of everything."

"Well," she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as possible, "maybe not everything."

They continue to kiss as Sideswipe backs out of the plane, their lips never parting. He turns them around to face away from the plane before he reluctantly pulls back. She slides her nose against his, promising silently along the bond that they'll definitely make time for a lot more of this later, when everything is over.

He steals one last kiss before turning his holoform off, making Ari plop down into the passenger seat. Then he transforms, Ari moving with all his parts to end up perched on his shoulder. And the sight before them takes her breath away.

Cogman landed them next to a castle, a literal, fragging castle like out of some sort of fairy tale.

"Where are we?" Ari whispers breathlessly, getting a serious sense of déjà vu. Like something in her bones or in her blood has stood in this valley before. Even though the only time she's ever been this side of the pond was when Jetfire zapped them all straight to Egypt.

Still, that sense of familiarity tingles along her spine.

"This is the home of my master," Cogman answers simply, gesturing forward. "Come, we mustn't be late."

" _I thought servants wasn't a thing anymore?"_ Sideswipe asks over the bond. _"And why would a Cybertronian be one to a human?"_

" _I don't know,"_ Ari shrugs. _"Though butlers are still a thing, I guess."_

Sideswipe rolls after Cogman, confusion and curiosity beating down both sides of the bond. As soon as they get close to the castle, though, the tank sitting outside it starts moving and fires at them, letting off a booming shot.

Sideswipe grabs Ari, holding her safely to his chassis as dirt flies up around their feet in a warning shot. "We are safe here," Sideswipe asks cautiously, "right, Cogman?"

Cogman lets out a long-suffering sigh. "My apologies for him. He really means you no harm."

Ari notices a man standing next to the tank, shouting at the tank disapprovingly as it transforms into another Cybertronian, "We have guests! What's the matter with you?"

Several of the Autobot's parts fall to the ground like confetti and he looks down at them despairingly as he grumbles to himself. He's old for a Cybertronian, like Jetfire old, a rickety old man snuggling into his golden years. He shakes his head at the man, sauntering off a few feet back towards the castle before transforming back into his tank, not wanting to bother with anyone else right now.

So was that his version of "get off my lawn"?

"Hello, there!" the man calls cheerfully as they draw near, looking to be in his fifties or sixties. Maybe a college professor, considering his dressy grandpa attire. Or Sherlock Holms, since he even has a pipe. Though a professor wouldn't live in a humongous castle.

"Master, he's a complete knucklehead," Cogman announces bitterly, stopping at the man's side with hands clasped behind his back.

So this is Cogman's master. An old professor living in a castle. And he's supposed to have the answers they're looking for?

"I'm awfully sorry about that," the man apologizes in a rambling sort of way, like his brain and mouth aren't quite in sync with each other. "But, um, you see, he thinks it's still the year 1918 or 1914. Something like that. So sad. World War I and all that stuff. I mean," he waves his pipe around, eyes going a bit distant in a way that makes Ari nervous, "Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme. Battle of the Marne, Battle of Passchendaele. Trenches and mud and death and gore and all that. It's terribly sad. It's terrible! I mean, so sad, you know? This late onset of, um, well..."

He leans in, in a sort of stage whisper, "Robot dementia. It's not at all pretty."

Ari's tempted to ask if this guy has dementia. Or maybe that's not tobacco he's smoking. Instead, she drudges up all her professionalism and asks, "Sir, with all due respect, but why are we here? Because if we don't get some answers before the rest of our team arrives, we're out of here. They're just thirty minutes behind us."

"Right, right," the man perks up, seeming to become a bit more present and focused again. He waves his hands at her to come closer. "Let's have a look at this thing."

Ari exchanges a worried look with Sideswipe but nods. He lowers her to the ground, getting down on one knee himself to be a bit closer to her. Just in case. Ari takes a step forward, offering her right arm to the man and feeling the talisman automatically slide down to her wrist right before the stranger pushes up her sleeve. Like it knew what she wanted.

"Very interesting," he says softly, voice a mixture of awe and yearning and that feeling of "finally, at last" that releases from the stomach in an overwhelming flood of relief. "Yes. You keep a secret for so long, knowing it to be true, and yet—deep down inside—you begin to wonder, 'Has my life been wasted?'" He looks up at her imploringly, letting go of her arm. "Have you ever felt like that, Ms. Ari?"

"It's just Ari," she tells him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Maybe the weight of this secret—whether it just be about the talisman's existence or something more—maybe it drove him a bit mad. "Look, I don't have a ton of patience for riddles right now."

"Yes, but you want to know, don't you?" He steps closer, voice dropping deep and dark like he's about to share a secret. "Why they keep coming here. To Earth. Right?"

Why Cybertronians keep coming to Earth? "Well, the AllSpark is here."

He nods along. "Right, right."

"And a sun harvester was hidden inside a pyramid in Egypt. And the tech for the space bridge was on our moon."

"Of course, all of them very important, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"You mean there's more?" Sideswipe asks incredulously. "What more could possibly be hidden here?"

"Come," he gestures towards the castle behind him, "I'll show you."

Sideswipe transforms into his alt mode, bringing out the holoform again and taking Ari's hand. Together, they follow the man and Cogman into the castle, heading down stone halls and passing tapestries and statues and paintings and more priceless artifacts than Ari has ever seen before in her life.

As the man goes to change out of his outdoor clothes—because the wealthy apparently have indoor and outdoor clothes—Cogman shows them to a private library. Leather couches sit in the middle of bursting bookcases going up two stories with a mezzanine wrapped around the room, a massive stone fireplace taking up at least half of one wall, and beautiful arched windows letting in the early morning sun.

Another Cybertronian peeks in through one of the open windows to wave at them in hello, about the same size as Sideswipe and colored black and orange.

"Oh, hello," Ari greets, waving back. How many Cybertronians are staying here and how have they never known about it? "What's your name?"

He tries to reply, but it comes out heavily accented, making it hard for Ari to understand. "Ut what?" she asks.

"Ut rut," he tries again.

Ari's brow furrows. That doesn't sound right. "Ut rut?"

"Hot Rod," the man clarifies, stepping into the room with an expensive suit tailored to fit him perfectly. Like Tony but less pretentious. "It's his French accent."

Sideswipe barely holds in a chuckle. "He gave himself a French accent?"

"He likes it."

"No, no, no!" Hot Rod says emphatically, waving his hands in the air and shaking his head. "I hate the accent! But I can't get rid of it. I'm stuck with the accent."

"That makes no sense to me," Cogman says, moving to a drink trolley to pour the man a drink like the butler Ari's pretty sure he really is. A Cybertronian butler. Who knew? "My accent is British but I can change it if I want. I simply prefer to be British."

Maybe she should introduce him to Jarvis. They'd probably have fun swapping stories. Though she'll definitely leave Wheeljack out of it. Perhaps he could fix Hot Rod's problem, at least.

"Anyway, introductions! My name," the man presses a hand to his chest dramatically, "is Edmond Burton, 12th Earl of Folgan, and one of the last surviving members of the Order of Witwiccans."

Ari stiffens, like a bucket of ice water was just poured over her head. Sideswipe places a steadying hand at the small of her back. "Witwiccans?" she asks, voice shaking slightly. "Like Witwicky?"

Burton nods happily. "Exactly, my dear. You would be the only other surviving member, apart from myself. There's just the two of us now."

Witwicky. That name she can never completely get away from. She always thought it an odd name, but never anything as crazy as this. "I'm sorry, but I'm not descended from any earls or royalty or order or anything like that. My family's from the United States of America. That's where I was born."

"Your great grandparents may have crossed the Atlantic to settle with the Yanks, but your ancestors originated right here, in England. Here, let me show you."

He ushers them out of the room, going down the hall to a large dining room while arguing with Cogman about something. But Ari doesn't listen.

The dining room is covered—absolutely covered—with history.

Paintings hang around the room, done in different art styles showing different scenes or portraits depicting hundreds of different people. They cover almost every available wall space, and then there's the rest of the room. Besides the frankly massive dining table, there are end tables and coffee tables and cabinets filled with artifacts and more pictures.

An entire family history represented in a single room, going back centuries.

"These were all my predecessors," Burton says proudly. "Your distant relatives, Ari, in one way or another. All Folgans. That was my aunt there." He points to one of the paintings. "My great-great-great-great aunt. She poisoned my great-great-great uncle for some reason. She was barking mad. There's my grandfather over there, Aloysius. And that's Arnold, my third cousin. He drunk sewage water, committed suicide. He was quite mad. They were all mad, really."

" _I'm thinking he is too,"_ Sideswipe says, _"and he's trying to take us down the rabbit hole with him."_

" _Just give him a minute. Let's hear him out."_

She finds it, in one corner of the room. A picture of her great-great-grandfather, Archibald Witwicky, perched on a table. And then another picture of her father, Ron. And then her. Her picture, a photo from her high school yearbook.

A strange mixture of emotions swirl around inside of her. Surprise, for sure. A good helping of doubt, too. Seriously, how is she to believe any of this? That she has had family out there, all this time? Happiness tries to trickle out, but the emotion that boils over everything else is anger.

"You knew?" she seethes, rounding on Burton with clenched fists. "You knew I was out there?"

He blinks owlishly at her. "Why, yes, of course."

"For how long?"

"Since you were born. It's been my duty to keep track of the family lineage."

"And you never once thought of reaching out? Letting me know you existed?"

"I couldn't. I had a duty."

"Not even when my fa—," she cuts herself off, not wanting to use that word. He doesn't deserve it. "Not even when Ron _beat_ on me?" She stalks towards him, feeling Sideswipe try to reel her fury back in across the bond, but there's no controlling it now, writhing and burning like a living fire. "You did know about that, didn't you? How could you not, since you seem to know an awful lot about me."

His hand rises and then drops to his side, eyes clouding over with regret. "I didn't know until after, when it was far too late to do any good. I swear to you, I would have sent Cogman to you had I known, duties be slagged." He gazes up at all the portraits and history around them, like a dreamy boy. "These are all the Witwiccans. In our halcyon days, we were quite the club. Brilliant minds, explorers, scientists, artists, world leaders. Renaissance thrill seekers. People like Catherine the Great, Empress of all Russia, General Washington, William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth of England, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass…."

He trails off, giving her a sad smile. "But I'm afraid, my dear, that you are the first truly sane Witwiccan in a few generations."

"And that's saying something." She crosses her arms in front of her chest, looking up as well. She easily recognizes many famous people from all across history. Grandpa Archibald would definitely fit among them. He was quite the famous explorer, before he went mad. Really, he discovered Megatron first, along with the AllSpark. His discovery led Ari to where she is now.

" _You belong here, too,"_ Sideswipe tells her, taking her hand and squeezing gently. _"If what he says is true, you're just as important to history as everyone else hanging on these walls. You'd do them proud."_

She squeezes his hand back, not really sure what to say. She hopes he's right. But could she really be descended from all of this? All this greatness?

Her eyes draw inexplicably towards the photos of her and her father. No. Not her father. Will is her father. Ron is just the man who donated some DNA and then proceeded to try his best to ruin her life. How could he really be descended from all of this? All these people were heroes and revolutionaries of their times. Ron was a monster.

She's descended from that, too. From a monster. She's run from him her entire life, but that darkness still remains a part of her. Who's to say she won't end up like him instead of all of these other greats?

How did the AllSpark know she wouldn't end up a monster, too? That she still won't? How could someone like her be trusted for something like that?

Sideswipe yanks on her hand, trying to draw her attention. _"Ari…."_

"Come," Burton holds out a hand, beckoning them to follow. "Let me show you what I dedicated my life to protecting."

Ari takes in a deep breath and then nods, pushing thoughts of Ron to the side. It doesn't matter anymore. _He_ doesn't matter. He's in the past. That's where he belongs and that's where he needs to stay.

"They all belonged to a secret society, you see," Burton goes on, leading them into an enjoining study filled with more artifacts and photos. "All united in one cause—to protect the secret history of the Cybertronians. Here, on Earth."

"They knew?" Ari asks, surprised, gladly focusing on something else. Yes, Cybertronians have been coming here for centuries, but they always tried to keep a low profile. At least, she thought they did. Going around the room, looking more closely at some of the photos, she finds that wasn't always the case. Several photographs show groups of people standing together—Cybertronians standing among humans in camaraderie and friendship.

"Now, this is the Witwiccan family tree, going back forty generations." Burton stands in front of the back wall covered entirely in a massive mural of a family tree listing thousands of names and their blood connections to each other.

And at the very top of it is a name she never expected—Merlin.

But not _that_ Merlin…right?

"It all began in 484 A.D.," Burton leads them to yet another room, this one filled with various antique weapons, "when King Arthur and his wizard, Merlin, stared down and vanquished the Saxon Hordes at Mount Badon. That's his sword and his mace there."

Ari blinks as they pass the weapons he points to but Burton doesn't so much as pause, going outside to a grassy courtyard. "You don't seriously mean _the_ Merlin and King Arthur, right? That's a myth."

Or at least, she always thought it was. But, considering everything else they've witnessed and been through, she wouldn't really be surprised if they're real as well.

Burton nods. "Yes, every legend, every myth, every story whispered around the campfire has a logical explanation."

"Yeah, sure," Sideswipe reluctantly agrees, "but I think logic has left the building. You're talking about magic."

"What, like a walking, talking Corvette?" Ari says pointedly, bumping his shoulder with hers. "And what about Thor and Loki? The Vikings originally thought they were magic, but really, what they do is just an advanced form of science. It's like that quote from Arthur C. Clarke Darcy likes to say. 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Really, who's to say Merlin and Arthur weren't the same?"

"Right you are, my dear." Burton takes them into a small church, just as old as the castle they left behind, but it's not an ordinary church. Where the pews would be for people to sit in for a Sunday morning service, here there's a large stone round table marked with carvings. Around the table sit twelve chairs—one more ornate than the other eleven. Beside each of those chairs stands a broadsword, embedded into the marble floor with an armor chest plate draped on the sword's crossguard, and a regular sword placed on the table with its tip pointed towards the center. "Now, this place was built around the original Round Table. Percival, Gawain, Tristan, Lancelot. They sat right here. Twelve in all. And behind them sat the twelve who came from Cybertron."

"Knights," Ari says in understanding. "The Cybertronian Knights. Like what we found on Lockdown's ship, and the one who gave me the talisman."

A door of the AllSpark cracks open, just a crack, chanting floating out as soft as music on the breeze. She repeats it softly under her breath, "We fight for honor. We fight for the human race. For all that is good in mankind. To brothers old and new. No sacrifice, no victory."

No sacrifice, no victory. The words Grandpa Archibald always said. Words passed down the line all the way to her.

Primus, she really does come from all of this.

"Twelve alien knights who saw in Camelot what the human race could be at its finest," Burton nods, running a hand along the table. "A race of honor."

Ari takes in a sharp breath as the AllSpark door closes again, blinking rapidly to come fully back to the present. That's when she notices that the music she thought was all just in her head is actually out loud. She looks up curiously at Cogman, perched at an organ on the mezzanine above playing them their very own dramatic soundtrack.

"Cogman?" Burton says shortly, cutting Cogman off. "You ruined the moment again!"

"I was making the moment more epic," Cogman retorts.

"Just be quiet. What's the matter with you?" Burton shakes his head, turning his back on the mech and mumbling under his breath, "If I could find his neck, I'd strangle him."

He points to the chest plate next to the ornate chair, the same symbol from the talisman branded into it. "This belonged to King Arthur himself. Now, legend held that one last knight would someday be chosen and the struggle to save the world would begin. It would appear, Ms. Ari, that that last knight is you."

Ari touches a hand to her upper arm, where she can feel the talisman underneath. "What, you're saying that Cybertronian knight traveled the whole universe to find me and give me this? Me?"

Burton leans against King Author's chair, looking at her with a look more serious than any she's seen since meeting him. "Yes, he did. You see, Ms. Ari, you are more important to this world than you have ever known." He nods to her, looking directly at her left arm where her marks lay hidden. "There's a reason you were chosen to become the next vessel of the AllSpark. It is in your blood."

Sideswipe stiffens next to her, looming at her shoulder protectively. Ari waves her hand at him, nudging him along the bond to back down. Honestly, this man has lived with Cybertronians apparently his entire life. She's not at all surprised news of the AllSpark reached him. Those aren't the words that confuse her. "What do you mean, it's in my blood?"

"I'm getting to that." He places his hand on the table, fingers gliding over the many markings engraved in it. "This table is from Cybertron. It's a puzzle I've been working on for some time. My entire life, actually."

Ari and Sideswipe step closer, eyes running over the words and pictures in puzzlement. "These markings," Sideswipe mutters softly, tracing a symbol with his finger, "it's old Cybertonian, isn't it?"

"Indeed. A mantra whispered through the cosmos."

"With your dying breath," Ari whispers, the AllSpark already translating it for her, "protect the staff."

"Yes, the staff of Merlin. Bequeathed to him by an alien race. Fused with his DNA so that only he would have the key to unlock its alien power. Or, as they knew it in those days, magic."

"So the staff is some sort of Cybertronian technology," Sideswipe says.

"It was buried with Merlin's body." Burton circles around the table, sitting down in one of the chairs with his elbows perched on the armrests, hands raised to weave his fingers together. "A thousand years we've kept it hidden. If it ever fell into the wrong hands, it would mean the imminent destruction of everything we know and love. The twelve guardian knights combined into a mighty dragon to protect it. And now it is in great danger."

"Megatron," Ari says grimly, looking down at her arm and the talisman encircled there. "He was after this."

"So the battle is upon us. It is why they're here. Why they keep coming to Earth. And we must claim the staff before it is too late." Burton looks Ari dead in the eye. "Only a direct descendant of Merlin himself can wield this instrument of absolute power. And you, Ms. Ari, are Merlin's last descendant here on Earth. And, as such, you are our last hope."

Ari barks out a surprised laugh. Or maybe a little crazed, like all of her family members seem to be. "Me? A descendant of the wizard Merlin? You've got to be kidding."

Cogman slams open a huge tome in front of her on the table, making her jump. She leans forward, studying it carefully. It appears to be a detailed log of Merlin's descendants, the most recent volume of several. Generations must have worked to keep track of this. And, sure enough, on the last page for the current generation, there's Ari's name and picture.

The most recent descendant of Merlin.

"Oh," she says dumbly, Sideswipe's arms slipping around her waist to hold her from behind. She leans back against his chest, not sure what else to say. Or even think.

She's descended from Merlin.

"Bit of a shock, isn't it?" Burton asks, patting her arm in sympathy.

"You could say that again."

"Only you know the staff's location," he presses, not giving her a whole lot of time to process, but they don't exactly have a whole lot of time.

The thing is, Ari has no fragging clue. "I've tried looking into the AllSpark's knowledge. It won't let me see."

"This is the latest image of their world coming here." Cogman hands him a folder and Burton opens it up to show her several satellite images of Cybertron. How he even got these, she has no idea, but that thought flies right out of her head. Cybertron looks like it's breaking apart, the pieces held together by ropes or maybe tentacles, moving across space like an octopus. "You're all that stands in its way. So you'd better find that staff quickly."

"But," she bites her lip, gripping Sideswipe's forearms tightly, "what if I can't?"

"I know you can," Burton replies with complete confidence, smile spread across his face. "You were born for this, my dear."

He takes her hand in his, leading her to press her palm against the top of the table. Sparks dance across the table top from her fingertips, and she pushes Sideswipe back to make sure they don't catch him. But they don't leave the table. They dance and swirl on the stone, licking at the swords laying on top until the hilts levitate in the air.

Ari yanks her hand away, heart racing in her veins as she breathes heavily.

That didn't come from the AllSpark. That came from inside of her. She could feel something in her blood responding, reaching out with the urgency of a waiting lion. Her entire being has waited for this moment.

"Merlin was the first human to ever meet Cybertronians," Burton tells her, leaning in as if they're the only people in the room. "He was the first human Cybertronians ever trusted. Merlin formed a pact with them to always carry their secrets—to protect them as they protected him. That pact runs through your veins. The AllSpark responded to it when it found you, just as this table does and just as the staff will as well. You are the only one who can find it. Just let your instincts guide you, as you always have since that fateful day in Mission City."

Ari clasps her hands in front of her stomach, taking in a shaky breath. Merlin. The AllSpark chose her because of Merlin. She was literally born for this, to always care for the Cybertronian race and to carry their trust. It wasn't coincidence that Grandpa Archibald went to the Arctic Circle. It wasn't a coincidence that he found Megatron and his glasses were imprinted with the AllSpark's location.

It wasn't a coincidence that Sideswipe ended up at that used car lot. All of history has been building up to this moment, so that she might be here to find the staff.

So she must have the means to do it as well.

"Right, so how do we do this thing?

"As I said," he takes her hand, giving it a squeeze, "this table is a puzzle I've been trying to solve my entire life. The thing is, it's not one I was ever meant to solve."

He gets up from the table to stand back with Sideswipe and Cogman. Ari holds up her hands, hovering them over the table. Taking a deep breath, she presses her hands to the tabletop and keeps them there this time. The sparks start right up again licking over the engravings and the swords. A heavy pressure builds up in her chest, power surging that she never knew she possessed. She allows it to overwhelm her, vision going white and she inhales a gasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Ari's kind of Cade and Vivian rolled into one. You see why neither of them can fit into this fic? But it was such a lovely opening. The Order of Witwiccans, Sam Witwicky's picture among the rest of Burton's family history. That would automatically make Ari a part of it all as well. So, since she's part of the family, it was an easy jump to make her Merlin's family as well.
> 
> But that would make Ron part of it all, too. And that would definitely stir up some really complicated emotions in Ari. We'll get to explore more of that next chapter, which will be a week from today.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	5. A Witwicky Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm so glad I finished writing this fic so I can post again and have something to look forward to every week. Because this stay at home order is slowly driving me insane. At least I still have an excuse to go out as an essential employee, but I miss doing...other stuff. Just anything, really.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter has more of the heavy stuff. And I must have rewrote it, like, a thousand times. Especially the letter part.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy the product of my struggles!

A dry desert breeze wafts over her face, feet sinking slightly into the sand she suddenly stands on. Her vision clears and she blinks, taking in the familiar craggy mountains reaching into the sky before her.

Egypt. She hasn't stood in this desert in years.

The familiarity both confuses and steadies her. She lifts up her feet to trudge through the sand to the mountains, a path she knows well. And, just as before, six ancient Cybertronians walk out of the mountains to greet her, their armor making them look like Egyptian pharaohs.

The original Primes. Her guides to earning her AllSpark marks and coming in fully to her powers.

"I thought I'd never see you guys again," she says, running her hand over her AllSpark marks. "Once I earned my last mark, I thought you said that would be it."

"It seems Primus is not done with us quite yet," the first Prime speaks, kneeling down in front of her and reminding her so much of Optimus her chest aches. "Or you, descendant of Merlin."

She shakes her head in bafflement. Of course, they know. "Why didn't you tell me before, if you knew?"

"Everything has its time, just as Burton said. Acting too soon could change the outcome of what comes next, putting the fate of your world in jeopardy."

"What is coming?" Ari asks desperately, wishing to finally understand. "What's coming for us?"

"Cybertron," the femme Prime says grimly, clasping her hands together in front of her chassis. "Cybertron is moving through space, heading for Earth."

"But Cybertron is just a planet. Entire planets can't move on their own."

"No," the first Prime says, blue optics downcast with despair. "Cybertron was never just a planet. And neither is Earth."

Dread pools in the pit of Ari's stomach, fists clenching at her sides and she wishes Sideswipe were here with her. "Explain."

"When we helped Primus defeat Unicron, both of our great creators were very weak. They both went into stasis lock, drifting aimlessly through space. But before Primus completely shut down, he gave us a decree. Of what to do with their bodies.

"We shifted them into their alt modes, giant spheres made for traveling through space like comets. As you know, both Primus and Unicron are as big as small planets. And so, Primus ordered us to make them planets. Unicron became Cybertron, the planet we then populated with our Cybertronian species. It became his penance for all he had done."

Ari's face drains of color, heart lodging in her throat. She sinks down, sitting in the sand before she falls. "He...," she swallows thickly, "that's not just Cybertron coming here? It's Unicron?"

No wonder she couldn't figure out where Unicron had been hiding this whole time. She never thought to look at an actual planet, let alone the Cybertronian's abandoned home.

The first Prime nods. "Indeed. And he is coming here because of Primus."

"Primus wished to be the home of a new species," the femme explains. "A species that would take a millennium to develop, but he knew they would one day be integral to the entire universe. It's why we gave up our lives for them." She kneels down next to the other Prime, giving Ari a soft smile. "For you."

Oh, boy, Ari's glad she's already sitting down for this because this...she wasn't expecting Cybertron, but she definitely wasn't expecting this. "Primus became Earth?" she chokes out.

"Yes. He became your planet's core. We used the AllSpark to build up the layers of mantel and earth around him, giving the planet the atmosphere and nature you would need to survive."

"But now Primus is in great danger," the largest Prime says, voice deep and dark, along with his snarl, "because of Quintessa."

Ari takes in a deep breath, slipping her fingers through the sand beneath her to ground herself. Okay. This is a lot. But she can freak out about everything later. "Who's Quintessa?"

"A Cybertronian femme. We gave her a contingent of knights to help with her task—keep Unicron from ever awaking. But she betrayed us. She sought to bring Unicron back online using the staff."

"That's what the staff does?" Ari asks, getting to her feet again. "It's used to awakening Unicron?"

"Yes, but centuries ago, her knights took the staff from her and brought it here, to Earth, for the humans to protect."

"Earth is your planet," the first Prime says. "You're home. It's only fitting that the key to protecting it and Primus rests with you."

"But what about Quintessa? If she failed in awakening Unicron before, how is he moving now?"

"Quintessa was imprisoned deep within Cybertron, but after the war," the first Prime shakes his head, sadness and worry marring his faceplates, "she must have escaped. She's now using what little power she can gather to move Unicron here, and when they arrive..."

"What?" Ari asks when he hesitates, sensing the foreboding simmering in the air, burning hotter than the sun's heat. "What will they do?"

"Quintessa will use the staff to drain Primus of his remaining power in order to awakening Unicron," the femme murmurs softly. "Destroying your planet in the process."

"Primus's horns have arisen," the first Prime declares, him and the femme getting to their feet. "He senses his ancient enemy drawing near, but he is not truly strong enough to protect himself. You must do it, Ari, AllSpark, descendant of Merlin. Retrieve the staff. Keep Quintessa from using it. And when the time comes, defeat Unicron once and for all."

Ari's chest squeezes, hearing the underlying words he leaves out. Hearing Death's voice as she explained what Ari's capable of. The power inside her.

Will she have to use it this time? That power she never wanted? She prays she doesn't have to but...will there even be another choice this time?

She doesn't know. But she doesn't have to find out now.

"Where is the staff?" she says instead, focusing on the problem at hand. One crisis at a time. "How do I find it?"

"Most of the remaining knights guard Merlin's tomb," he explains. "The staff was placed inside at his passing, the tomb hidden from everyone with no knowledge of it ever written down. But one knight remained out in the world, hiding among your people. Lying dormant until the day Merlin's descendant might need her. Go to her and she will take you to your ancestor, and the staff."

"Where can I find her?"

"You have everything you need to find her."

"I do?"

"Yes. Now hurry, Ari," the Primes urge as their voices begin to fade. "Find the staff. Before it is too late."

* * *

Ari comes to with a gasp, eyes flying open as her back arches. A hand cups her cheek, her head forced to the side until Sideswipe's face fills her vision, his holoform holding her in his lap where he sits cross-legged on the floor against a wall. His presence settles around her along their bond, helping to calm her, but what she learned.

Primus, what she learned.

"Hey, it's okay, it's alright, sweetspark," Sideswipe says soothingly when her breaths continue to come out in ragged gasps, heartrate speeding like a frightened rabbit. He holds her tighter in his arms, worry tightening around his eyes. "Ari, it's okay. You're safe."

"What happened?" Burton asks urgently, him and Cogman hovering nearby. "What did you see?"

Her mouth opens and closes like a gaping fish, the words getting lodged in her throat. So instead, she focuses her eyes on Sideswipe, using the bond to show him the horror she finds herself unable to speak.

"Holy slag," Sideswipe mutters, his eyes rounding as well.

"What?" Burton demands, getting impatient. "What is it?"

"Unicron is Cybertron," Sideswipe explains hurriedly, tucking Ari beneath his chin. She burrows against him, pressing her face into his collarbone and focusing on the warmth of his spark. "And Primus is inside of Earth. Someone named Quintessa wants to drain Primus of his power in order to wake Unicron up."

"So we're all doomed, then," Cogman says succinctly, shoulders sagging in dismay.

"No," Ari breathes out, forcing herself to sit up. "Not if we get the staff first."

"Do you know where it is?" Burton asks.

"No. But the Primes said I already have everything I need." She sighs deeply, rubbing a hand over her face. "The thing is, I have no idea what they're talking about. There's a Cybertronian out there who's supposed to be able to take us to the staff but I have no idea where to find her."

He points to her, eyes thoughtful. "You might not," he reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out an envelope, "but I believe the secrets of our bloodline have been carried down through your family, just as they have mine."

She snorts humorlessly. "My parents never told me slag about any of this."

"Not before, but perhaps now."

He hands her the envelope and she turns it over curiously, face going white when she sees the handwriting.

Sideswipe's thumb rubs soothing circles on her hip. "Ari?"

"That's my…," she swallows heavily. "That's Ron's handwriting."

"Seriously? How did he even know Burton existed, let alone sent him a letter?"

"I don't know," Burton answers with a delighted chuckle, like the mystery is the best thing in the world. "We had never spoken before, but somehow this letter ended up on my doorstep addressed to you, just two days before the Battle of Chicago."

"He was in Decepticon hands when he sent it then," she whispers, thumb sliding just under the flap. How had he managed to send this without the Decepticons knowing? Or did they just not care? Why even send it to Burton instead of just straight to her?

Why send her a letter at all?

"Read it," Burton urges, stepping backwards towards the door. "I don't know what it says, but I do hope it provides you with some of the answers you've been searching for."

Ari nods numbly as Burton and Cogman wander out of the church. She's not sure she can do this. Her stomach roils, like a parasite's trying to eat her from the inside out. How does she just…do this?

Sideswipe lifts her up, placing her in a seat as he sits down on top of the table. He takes her free hand. "Do you want me to read it to you?"

"No," she answers quickly, tearing the envelope open with her thumb. She never wants to hear Ron's words coming from Sideswipe's mouth. Licking her lips nervously, she pulls the letter out and begins to read.

_Arianna,_

_I know you hate me, after everything that_ _'s happened. I don't blame you for it, nor do I expect you to understand why I did the things I did. Why I am the way I am. I'm not sure I understand either. I thought these Decepticons did, but I've come to realize what a fool I've been, to believe that they'd let me have you._

_That_ _'s all I wanted. To have you back. That's why I agreed to join their cause. Instead, I may very well have doomed us all._

_I don_ _'t deserve your forgiveness, so I won't ask for it now. I simply ask that, if you happen to find this letter by some twisted turn of fate, that you will listen to your old man. Just this once._

_I_ _'ve known about the Folgan family since I was a teenager, when my father—your grandfather—told me about our relatives in England. You never met your grandfather, but he was a sick man. He went on deranged ramblings all the time. So when he told me about aliens and a prophecy foretelling the end of the world, well, I understandably thought he was crazy._

_Not anymore._

_My father told me that a war is coming, and I don_ _'t think he was talking about this one. Not exactly. What's coming is something much, much worse. He wouldn't say exactly what, but I wasn't exactly listening at the time either. The only thing I really remember is where the Folgan family lives. And the address of a townhouse that your Great-Great Grandfather Archibald used to have in London. The deed has stayed in the family, so you shouldn't have trouble accessing it, and all of his belongings should still be there._

_There_ _'s something in that townhouse, Ari, something that used to belong to Grandpa Archibald. Something important. I don't know when this war is coming, but something tells me that you'll be caught up in it. And when it comes, you're going to need whatever it was Grandpa Archibald kept safe._

_So, if you ended up with the Folgans and are reading this letter, that means it_ _'s started. I need you to go to London, Arianna. Go there and find whatever it is, before it's too late. The key to the townhouse is hidden in a loose brick to the left of the front door and the address is written on the back of this letter._

_Megatron means to kill you before any of that ever happens, though. In just a few days. I hope to protect you from him, if I can. I don_ _'t know if I'll be successful, but I pray that I am. That I can finally be a good father._

_I am sorry._

_Goodbye, Ari._

Water drips down onto the paper, making the ink bleed. Ari's shoulders shake as a sob fights its way out of her throat. She tries to hold it back. He doesn't deserve her tears. He doesn't deserve any of it. He was a monster.

But a hole tears open in her chest, a hole she thought long since healed. Now it gapes, screaming. The letter crinkles, her fingers closing around it like claws. Sideswipe places a hand on her shoulder but as soon as he touches her she surges to her feet, pacing away.

"Ari…," Sideswipe says gently, like approaching a wounded wolf. But she doesn't want to be wounded. She _isn_ _'t_. This shouldn't be affecting her like this.

But it is.

"How can he just," she clutches the letter tighter before tossing it away, floating down like dead leaves. She points at her chest, emotions burning her up from the inside. "He hurt me. _Abused_ me. He made my life a living hell. Even now that he's…he still tortures me, even in my dreams. He just won't leave me alone and now this letter and," her breaths come ragged, hands shaking at her sides, "he thinks that he can just…he can't just _do_ that!"

"I know, Ari, I know," Sideswipe says softly, taking cautious steps forward. "He can't just make it right. But Ron was," he licks his lips, searching for words, "he was sick. And it sounds like from this letter that he knew that. Maybe not like your grandfather was or your Grandpa Archibald, but a different kind of sick."

"What, and that suddenly makes it all better? That it's not his fault?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm not saying he had no control over his actions. Just…if there's one thing I've learned since getting to Earth, it's that no one is completely good or completely bad." He reaches out, taking her hands in both of his. "We all have that darkness inside of us. Along with the light. Even Ron, and even Megatron. I think this was just a little bit of that good trying to break through. That's why he wrote this letter, and why he saved you. Now he's trying to save you again."

She shakes her head, another tear slipping out. "That doesn't just change what he did, Sides. He can't just erase all that."

"No, I don't think he was trying to. And it's okay to still hate him." Something in her chest loosens at that, everything going a little more calm, a little less jumbled. "But that little bit of good did try to break through in the end. He did try. And that counts for something."

She sniffs, using her shoulder to wipe at her cheek. "Not a whole lot."

He smirks. "No, not a lot. But it shows that at least a small part of him did try to be your father. To love you the right way."

A part of her always doubted that her father did love her. How could someone be so cruel to someone they love? But he did sacrifice himself to save her. And he probably risked a lot to even just get this letter to her. He did care, about her life, at least. He did find at least some good inside himself, however small.

Sideswipe's right. That does count for something.

She steps forward, eliminating the rest of the distance between them. Sideswipe wraps her up tightly in his arms, her own wrapping around his waist. She presses her face into his chest, melting into his embrace and into the bond.

She's still angry. And confused. And she'll never forgive Ron for what he did.

But he had some good. Even he could do something right for once. Her family, where she came from, wasn't entirely bad.

"Now what do we do?" she mumbles into his shirt, hating to move but knowing they need to go.

Sideswipe pulls back, cupping her face in his hands. "Now it's time for you to be a Witwicky girl again. We do what your father said. We go to this address, find what your Grandpa Archibald left for you, and we use it to get the staff first."

A Witwicky girl. She thought she could leave the name behind. That it didn't matter anymore. But it may very well be the most important part about her now. Her bloodline. Her heritage. Her family legacy.

And even though some of her family hasn't lived up to the name, she's going to do everything in her power to earn her place up on that wall. To make the Witwiccans proud.

"Right." She slips out of his arms, stooping to pick up the letter again. "Let's go to London and save the world."

A loud boom echoes throughout the church, coming from somewhere nearby. Sideswipe's head snaps towards the source of it, fear spiking along the bond. "Decepticons! There are three of them coming up on the castle."

"How did they find us?" Ari asks.

"I don't know. They must have followed us."

"I hope you're all done here, my dear," Burton huffs, staggering into the room like he just ran all the way here from the castle. Pretty good, for someone his age. "Because we seem to have visitors."

"Yeah, we're done," Ari says, leading the way out of the chapel. "And I know where to go next."

"Excellent. Then don't worry about these pesky 'Cons. Cogman, Hot Rod, and I will lead them away. You just focus on finding that staff."

They make it to the front of the castle, the tank Cybertronian transforming into his bipedal form to fire on the approaching Decepticons. Several of his pieces keep falling off, like an old man losing teeth, but he doesn't let it stop him. Not until one of the Decepticons gets in a lucky shot, clipping him in the shoulder and making him fall backwards to the ground.

Ari rushes to his side, bringing her AllSpark powers to her hands, but Burton grabs her arm to pull her away. "There isn't time!"

"But—!" She looks back, the Cybertronian losing energon fast. A mech who's same she never got the chance to learn. "I can help!"

"Your mission is more important!" Burton insists, like that isn't his friend bleeding out in front of his home. He pushes her towards Sideswipe's alt mode, shoving her into his driver's seat and closing the door.

Hot Rod races around a corner of the castle, transforming with his blaster drawn. "Hurry! My weapon will stop the time!"

He fires at the Decepticons just as they reach the castle's courtyard, some sort of purple energy hitting the ground at their feet. Instead of exploding, it spreads out like an expanding bubble, creating a dome around the area where it hit that encompasses all three Decepticons. Inside the bubble, they try to move, but their motions are slowed, like moving through molasses, inching forward when it looks like they should be running.

Time slowed to a crawl.

It gives them the time they need, Burton and Cogman jumping into a car, Hot Rod transforming into an expensive sports car, and all three of them racing away. Sideswipe pulls ahead, leading the charge until they make it to the main road. They weave in and out of traffic, horns blaring at them, but they ignore them. Seconds tick down—tick, tick, tick—the Decepticons only slowed for so long before they lose their lead.

Once they reach the city, Burton and Hot Rod veer off, going different paths to make it harder on the Decepticons. Sideswipe shoots off into a parking garage, zipping down to one of the underground levels and parking abruptly in one of the spots.

They wait a few tense moments in silence, but no one follows them.

Ari breathes out a slow sigh of relief. "Sideswipe, get me the others. We need to update them."

"You got it."

Static comes over his speakers for a second before Rob says, ::Hey, guys, we just landed. Where'd the creepy C-3PO drag you off to?::

"We're not there anymore," Ari says, so much to explain but they don't have time. "I have a lead on the staff. There's a Cybertronian in hiding on Earth somewhere. She knows where the staff is. I'm heading someplace to find out where she's laying low."

::And do you know what it does?:: Tony asks.

"I do." Ari swallows thickly, gripping Sideswipe's steering wheel so tight her knuckles go white. "It's...It's not good."

::No surprise there,:: Lina mutters.

Ari's brows shoot to her hairline. "Lina? You're still with us? I thought Sunstreaker would have forced you to go back to D.C. with Phil, Jane, and Darcy."

::She wouldn't get out of my alt mode,:: Sunstreaker grumbles, like it's an argument he's made many times.

Sideswipe barks out a laugh. "What, and you couldn't make her get out?" he says in disbelief, not buying it for a second and neither does Ari. "Please, you could have made her leave if you really wanted her to."

::No, he couldn't,:: Lina retorts. ::I don't care what anyone says, Ari. I'm ready for this. I've got what it takes.::

Ari frowns, chewing on her bottom lip. She wants to give her friend a chance. Lina's been through so much with them already. But does Lina really know what she's signing up for? "It'll be dangerous," she tells her, like Lina really needs the reminder.

::I've done dangerous,:: Lina says proudly. ::I can handle it. I don't want to run away anymore. I don't want to hide. If I really want to be a part of this world, then I need to jump into it fully, not just dip a toe into the shallow end.::

Lina wants this so badly. Ari can hear it in her voice. All of this used to scare her, but she's really grown in the past few years, making it through harrowing adventures. Despite what anyone might say, Lina does know what being in this world entails. She won't be going in blind.

She's been dragged in before. Now, she's choosing to step forward. And not just for herself.

This is just as much about Sunstreaker as it is herself. She needs to prove to the both of them that she can handle it. That she can handle being with Sunstreaker, because that road won't be easy and it won't be safe.

But Lina wants it.

"This isn't how I'd usually want to do this," Ari says slowly, inhaling a deep breath in through her nose before nodding. "You are going through both S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. training when we get back."

::Yes, yes, yes,:: Lina agrees happily, sounding like she's bouncing in her seat. ::Yes, whatever you want.::

::Ari,:: Sunstreaker sputters, ::you can't be serious.::

"I am," Ari replies, slipping into her role as head of the organization. "If Lina wants this, and she's willing, I'm going to give her a shot. She's already proven herself capable."

::She could get killed!::

"So could any of us. But that's why she isn't doing this alone. We'll all watch her back, Sunny. That's what being part of a team means."

If Sunstreaker and Lina really want to be partners—in all senses of the word—then he has to stop holding her back. Sideswipe learned that lesson. Now it's Sunny's turn.

"I do have a few conditions," Ari continues, tapping her finger against the steering wheel. "Lina, until this is over, you're sticking to either my side or Natasha's the entire time, understood?"

Lina gives a chipper reply, ::Yes, ma'am.::

"Also, Nat is going to be your hand-to-hand instructor."

::Oh...::

Ari smirks. Not so enthusiastic now, huh?

::Don't worry,:: Natasha purrs, not really putting anyone at ease at all. ::I won't be too hard on you.::

::Why don't I believe you?:: Lina sighs heavily in resignation. ::Alright, what else?::

"Ironhide and Clint will do your weapons training."

Lina groans while Clint snickers.

"And Trent will take you through your teamwork training with the next batch of recruits."

::Oh, this is going to be fun,:: Trent enthuses, sounding eager. ::Ironhide and I have come up with a few new ideas for the training arena.::

::Oh, what joy,:: Lina deadpans.

"Second-guessing it?" Ari teases.

::Not at all,:: Lina replies, the sheer force of her determination reminding Ari so much of herself. She felt she needed to prove to everyone that she can take care of herself. It led her to doing N.E.S.T. training. Granted, Ari needed that training for survival. She's the AllSpark. People are always going to be after her.

The same can't necessarily be said of Lina. But it could be, if she wants to stay a part of this. To stay in Sunstreaker's life. The sparkmate of an Autobot could be a powerful bargaining chip. But Ari knows it's more than that.

Lina wants to fight for herself, and for the people she cares about.

"Alright, it's settled," Ari declares, expecting Sunstreaker to protest again, but he stays quiet.

" _I gave him a little talk,"_ Sideswipe tells her over the bond, so the others don't overhear. _"I told him that he's gotta let Lina do this, if he wants her to stay. Trying to control what she does like that, it's only going to drive her away. For good. And even though he's scared about being sparkmates, he doesn't want that."_

Ari nods in understanding, really feeling for Sunstreaker, but Sides is right. Sunny needs to let this happen. And besides, they both just might be happier for it.

"Okay, so, I'll have Sideswipe send you the coordinates of where to meet once we find out where this Cybertronian is," Ari says, getting them back on track. The Decepticons haven't found them, so they should be long gone from here by now. "We're going to make another friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Primus, I have so many conflicting emotions about Ron. And Ari does, too, obviously. It's what made writing this chapter so difficult.
> 
> When The Last Knight came out, I had long since written his death and sort-of redemption arc. But here I found myself an opportunity to expand on it a little bit, while also working in more of the movie's content that would have been difficult to use otherwise since it revolved solely around Vivian and her history. But now it's become Ari's history, in a way. And a chance for her to reconnect with her Witwicky heritage.
> 
> And you'll be seeing more of that next week.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	6. Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Sorry I'm a day late. I was doing a final read-through of this chapter yesterday-like I do every time right before uploading a chapter-when I found a continuity error created when I merged something from the movie with my own inventions. So I had to go back through and fix it. Honestly, I like this chapter a lot more for it, now. Blessings in disguise, I guess.
> 
> Trigger warning for this chapter, by the way. Ari has a panic attack. So, just, be warned.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Not a single Decepticon follows them on their way to the address in London. Ari's not sure how Burton, Cogman, and Hot Rod handle it, but it definitely works. The lack of hostile aliens gives Ari time to center herself, get her focus away from Ron and back on the mission at hand.

She's about to see Grandpa Archibald's home. She's always wondered so much about him. She even still has some of his old things, like the glasses he used to wear that started all this. What else is she going to find? What other grand adventures did he go on that she never heard about?

They pull up to a townhouse in a quaint part of town, almost picturesque. The architecture is older in these homes, from around the 1800s, which matches what Ari knows of Grandpa Archibald. He did most of his exploring in the 1890s and died in 1938. This was probably his stopping spot between voyages.

Sideswipe parks on the curb, his holoform coming out to join her on the sidewalk. They walk up the front steps, Ari's hands feeling around the bricks around the door frame until she finds one that jiggles. She picks at it with her fingertips, slowly working it out of its hole in the mortar until it falls into her hand.

There's a hole at the back of the brick, the hollow space hiding a key inside. Just like the letter said.

"You ready for this?" Sideswipe asks as she puts the brick back, staring up at the townhouse.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she murmurs, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

She stands in the entryway for a moment, dust motes floating in the sunlight streaming in through the door. Ari steps down the hallway slowly, eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light. All of the drapes must be drawn. It's almost as black as night in here.

But there's still enough light to see all the Cybertonian symbols everywhere.

They cover almost every surface in every room they pass. Painted on the walls, written on papers littering the hardwood floor like fallen leaves, torn in the couch and carved into wooden furniture with what looks like was a very sharp knife. They're everywhere.

"I had forgotten for a moment," she murmurs, voice small in such an empty space filled with the ramblings of a madman, "that his exposure to Megatron drove him crazy."

What kind of history, what kind of amazing things, had Grandpa Archibald seen before he fell through that ice? What more would he have accomplished? She'll never know.

Sideswipe takes her hand, weaving their fingers together. "How the slag are we supposed to find anything in all of this?" he asks. "It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"I don't know." She thumps her head down on his shoulder. "I guess whatever it is I need, he would have had for a long time. It would have run in the family for generations so it probably has nothing to do with…all of this."

Now that she thinks about it, it probably would have gone to her eventually. At least, it should have. But then he went crazy and a cousin had him committed.

"Right, so at least we can ignore the crazy Cybertonian everywhere." Sideswipe leads them down the hall, ducking their heads in a few of the rooms. Living room, dining room, kitchen, parlor room. All equally a mess, though at least not from squatters. This was all Grandpa Archibald's doing. Guess a firmly locked door in a descent neighborhood was enough to keep any snoopers and thieves out. So what they're looking for should still be here, at least. "Are we even looking for something Cybertronian? Or would it be human? Something, I don't know, knightly?"

"I don't know." She looks around the hallway in contemplation, eying the stairs. "Maybe in a study or something? I mean, he probably kept it hidden, right?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't want anyone to find it. He would have kept it somewhere safe."

"So not in any of the areas guests might accidentally wonder into."

They head up the stairs, finding four doors lining the hall. A guest bedroom, bathroom, the master bedroom, and a study.

"Divide and conquer?" Sideswipe suggests.

"Sure." She pokes her head in the bathroom, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Something smells rank. There may not have been any squatters but still, no one has taken care of this place in a very long time. "Let's leave the bathroom for last, yeah?"

He chuckles. "Deal."

Sideswipe heads into the master bedroom and Ari takes the study, finding even more Cybertonian markings than in any other room. The obsession must have started in here and then spilled out into the rest of the house. Honestly, she's surprised the crazy stayed inside his head long enough for him to make it back to port. Though, it looks like things kind of exploded once he made it home. The markings cover literally every surface, the paint and carvings obscuring anything lying beneath. They overlap, over and over, the paints mixing together in places until they become unidentifiable smudges.

But one spot remains untouched—on the bookcase behind his desk.

Ari goes to it, turning the desk chair around to sit down in front of the portion of undisturbed shelf. All the other books have paint and markings on them, but one shelf, halfway down, has a few books that miraculously missed the massacre.

Though, perhaps, not so miraculous.

"Hey, Sides," she calls out, running her fingers along the few unblemished spines. "I think I have something."

"What is it?" he asks, coming over to kneel down next to her. He tilts his head, reading over some of the titles. " _Count of Monte Cristo_ , _Moby Dick_ , _Robinson Crusoe_ , _The Three Musketeers_ , _Treasure Island_. Your grandpa was quite the reader."

"All stories about action and adventure."

"Yeah, and all of them completely trashed."

"Not all of them," she runs her fingers over the clean spot again. "How did he manage to miss this area in his madness when it looks like he went over the entire room ten times over?"

Sideswipe's eyes light up as he catches on. "Unless, in his madness, he managed to retain some sense that something important was here."

"Something that needed to stay undamaged." Her fingers stop on a book, the thinnest one out of the entire bookshelf. One that stands out just on its own.

_Merlin_ _'s Tales of Dragons._

She yanks it off the shelf, opening it carefully to find beautifully illustrated pages, designed to lift off of the pages with pull tabs.

"A pop-up book?" Sideswipe asks, slightly incredulous. "You think he hid it in a pop-up book?"

"Well, why not?" she asks, flipping through the pages in fascination. It goes over the entire tale of Merlin and King Arthur, chronicling all of their grand adventures. "The children in the Witwicky family were probably raised on tales of Merlin, preparing them to carry the secret of his grave. What better way to help explain it all than with a children's book?"

She stops on a page depicting Merlin, standing in front of King Arthur and his knights. In his hand he wields his staff, raising it up over his head like he's about to send some demon back into the Pit. She grasps the tab at the bottom of the page, pulling on it so that the illustrations lift up.

Only for the tab to come completely free. Like it wasn't really attached at all.

She sets the book back on the shelf, flipping the tab over in her hands. On the back side she finds a slip of parchment folded tightly together. Excitement shoots down her spine. This is it. The secret her grandfather kept. The secret that was supposed to come to her. She opens it up, finding "HMS-Alliance" written on it in a scratchy script barely legible. Like it was written down in the middle of all this madness, but he still managed to tuck it away for safekeeping. Left behind since he could no longer pass on the knowledge himself.

Ari grins. "HMS-Alliance. That's her, Sides. That must be what the guardian went by when hiding among humans. It sounds like a ship."

The guardian's identity. The secret her family kept hidden for generations. Alliance has probably been a family friend for a very long time, until the lack of an easy energon source caught up with her. Grandpa Archibald maybe even knew her, growing up.

"Then what are we waiting for," Sideswipe says with his lopsided smile, pulling her to her feet. "Let's go find her."

* * *

"Do you think there's an ancient Cybertronian hiding in every museum?" Lina asks as they wait for their submarine to clear of people.

A quick internet search has led them to the British Navy Museum, the home of a World War II submarine called the HMS-Alliance. Alliance probably chose ship and sub alt modes during most of the 1800s and 1900s, until finally succumbing to stasis lock near the end of World War II. After scanning and finding low-level energon traces, Tony and Burton threw money at the staff to get them to close early for the day. The Avengers and her team now work to systematically clear the entire museum out, Steve, Tony, and Thor standing near the exit signing autographs to smooth things over.

"What, you mean like Jetfire?" Ari asks, leaning against the hood of Sideswipe's alt mode. "We found him, what, that was part of the Smithsonian Museum, right?"

"Yeah." Lina skootches back on Sunstreaker's hood until she can sit cross-legged on top, making Ari smirk. He'd never let Ari do that. "I mean, museums are usually filled with some really old modes of transportation, the kind of things Cybertronians like to choose for their alt modes. So do you think there are more out there, trapped in stasis lock?"

"I don't know." Ari leans back on her hands, mulling it over. A little girl tugs at the back of Bucky's shirt, making him turn around. She holds up a pen and a scrap of paper, staring up at him imploringly. He stares right back like the little girl's offering him a bomb. It still surprises him sometimes, people being fans of him. Despite all the hurt he feels he's caused. But he's done a lot of good, too, making him as much a hero as the rest of the Avengers.

"I guess it's possible," Ari finally answers, smiling as Bucky crouches to talk to the little girl, taking her pen and paper with a happy sparkle in his eyes. "Burton said Cybertronians have been coming to Earth for pretty much ever. With the lack of an easy energon source back then, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more out there, having fallen into stasis a while ago."

It would certainly be worth investigating. Maybe Ari will make it one of Lina's first missions, to go out with an energon detector to try and find out. Easy, simple, not so dangerous, but still really important.

Hopefully Lina sees it that way, too, but for everyone's peace of mind, Lina will be wearing training wheels for a while.

"Hey, guys!" Tony calls from the top of the submarine, Iron Man suit packed away in his arc reactor for now. "Coast is clear!"

"Alright." Ari slides to her feet, Sideswipe standing to his bipedal form now that no people are around. "Let's get to it, then."

"We'll stand guard," Sideswipe says, Sunstreaker transforming next to him as Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Elita transform as well to form a perimeter around the museum. "You do what you've gotta do."

"We'll be as quick as we can."

Ari, Lina, Burton, and Cogman head into the sub, climbing down a ladder into the belly of the craft. Ari looks around at all the pipes and buttons and levers, every available surface dedicated to the running of a submarine. Ari's almost afraid to bump anything. It all looks important, but she knows nothing will happen even if she does pull the wrong lever. Not until she wakes this Cybertronian up.

"The mission's in deep, unexplored waters," Burton says excitedly as he hops down off the last rung, taking a look around like a giddy little boy in a toy store. "It's wonderful! And the sour-sweet musk of men in close quarters. It's quite disgusting, really."

Ari and Lina share a disturbed look. She's never heard anyone say something quite like that so…happily.

"But now this, the greatest mission of them all, one that I have longed for my entire life." Burton wanders down the submarine, face full of boyhood wonder and wistfulness. "To help turn the tide of human history, you know? Now, alas, I can no longer join you."

Shock pierces through Ari, but not as loudly as Cogman as he shouts, "But, my lord, you have been waiting for this moment for seventy-one years!"

"I know, I know," Burton nods, giving Cogman a sad smile. "But I'm not knighthood material, I'm afraid. And you have your mission, and I have mine."

"Oh, no, no, no," Lina says, taking a careful step away from Cogman. "I heard what he did to Ironhide. You're not leaving us with that four-foot metal psychopath. I don't think so."

"I prefer the word sociopath," Cogman corrects, in all seriousness, which makes Ari wonder if Lina isn't right to be worried.

Burton steps towards Ari, hunching slightly to place his face level with hers. "Ms. Ari, everything you've done in your life. Your pain and your suffering at the hands of your father. The constant threats to your life, the constant fighting and battle and war. It's all just been a journey to this very moment."

A moment that doesn't include him. Because this is her journey, not his. Her mission. The accumulation of her life and her fate and her destiny. The reason for her marks. It's something only she can do and, as he said, he apparently has his own mission to attend to.

She smiles sadly, but she doesn't want this parting to be sad. So she jabs, "You talk a lot."

It brings a chuckle out of him. "Yeah, I suppose I do."

Ari reaches a hand out and then catches herself, placing her hand against her stomach. "I'll see you again, right?"

He reaches out for her, clasping their hands together and giving her a squeeze. "Of course, my dear. Now, the Alliance knows the way to the staff. She will take you to it. Good luck, to all of you."

Burton makes his retreat and Ari lets out a sigh, turning to what she's pretty sure is the steering wheel of a sub. She thinks. Not really sure what else to do, she places her hands on it, feeling the AllSpark automatically react without her needing to do a thing.

The AllSpark knows what's going on, then. What they need to do.

Blue sparks race into the handles, bringing all the dated technology back to life as the Cybertronian spark inside the sub rekindles to a burning flame. Ari can feel her come back online, contentment turning to surprise to recognition to determination.

So, she knows what's going on, too.

"Hello," Ari says aloud, looking up at the sub's roof like she tends to do when in an Autobot's alt mode. "My name is Ari."

"And I am Alliance," comes a feminine reply from the sub's speakers, cracking slightly like an old radio. "It is good to meet you, descendant of Merlin. Tell me, how many generations of your family have passed, since I was last awake?"

"Archibald Witwicky was my great-great grandfather," Ari tells her softly.

The machines around them give a low, mournful hum. "So Archy is gone, then."

"He is," Ari mumbles, stroking the console in comfort. "I'm sorry. Did you know my Grandpa Archibald well?"

"Indeed. We went on many voyages together. He was fascinated with this world you live on and wanted to discover all of its secrets." The speakers crackle, almost like a sigh. "My deepest regret was not going with him to the Arctic. If I had, maybe there was something I could have done. Prevented him from touching the Cybertronian he found. By the time he returned, it was too late. The madness had taken too strong a hold, his mind unable to interpret the Cybertonian it was directly exposed to. He didn't even recognize me."

"But he did," Ari tells her, forcing as much reassurance into her voice as she can. "A small part of him did remember you. He still managed to leave a clue behind for his future generations to follow. For _me_ to follow. Leading me to you so that I can fulfill the duty my family inherited."

"So that we both get to fulfill our duty, to Merlin and to Primus. So it has started, then? The talisman has been bestowed and the horns have risen?"

Ari nods grimly. "It has."

"Very well. Are you ready to meet your fate, Ari?"

"Yes," she says, feeling the weight of her answer in her bones. Yes, she's ready to face this destiny of hers, this thing she was literally born for. She's ready to do whatever she needs to in order to protect the world and the people she loves.

She presses her hand to her ear comm. "Alright, guys, it's time to roll out. Alliance is going to take us where we need to go. All aboard."

::We're riding in a submarine?:: Bruce asks, sounding extremely nervous. ::Are you serious?::

"Come on, guys, it'll be fun!" Clint says giddily, already climbing down the ladder. He takes a look around and frowns. "On second thought, I don't think Hulk will fit in here if he decides to join the party."

He does have a point. Perhaps everyone going together in such a confined space isn't such a good idea. Plus, there's all the Autobots. "Right, okay, Alliance? Are you okay with a few Autobots hanging onto the side of your hull for the ride?"

"Of course," she replies. "But no more than three. More than that will weigh me down too much and we will sink."

"Alright, we can work with that." Ari places her hands on her hips, thinking fast. "Sides, Sunny, and Elita, you're coming with us. Ironhide, take the other Autobots plus Sam, Thor, Bruce, and Trent. Go to the London office and contact my dad. Have him send reinforcements. We don't know what to expect from Quintessa, or the Decepticons if they show back up. Tell dad to go ahead and test out those new engines Tony and Wheeljack made. We need you guys back here fast."

::We will rejoin you as soon as we can.:: Ironhide promises. ::Let us know when you have a rendezvous point.::

Natasha, Tony, Steve, Bucky, John, Evie, and Rob make their way inside the sub, the hatch automatically closing and sealing once they're in. Then, once Sides confirms he, Sunny, and Elita have a good grip, Ari gives Alliance the go ahead to launch.

Machinery kicks into high gear all around them, going through starting sequences. "Hang onto something," Alliance warns just before they go into freefall.

Ari's heart shoots up her throat, then plunges into her stomach as they hit the water with a jerking splash.

"I will navigate us out of the river and then we will dive," Alliance explains. "It will take us several hours to reach Merlin's tomb. You all should rest while you can."

"That doesn't sound foreboding at all," Rob says, letting out a huff.

They split up after that, either finding a place to rest or just exploring Alliance's alt mode. It's certainly bigger than it looks on the outside with multiple floors connected by ladders and dozens of rooms. When Ari passes the torpedo pods, Cogman opens one up, climbing inside with the declaration that he's going to find some food.

He closes the hatch, launching himself into the ocean. Ari shakes her head. That is one strange mech.

" _He really, really is,"_ Sideswipe agrees over the bond.

Ari smiles, deciding to just sit on the floor in an out-of-the-way room from the others, leaning against a piece of machinery. _"What's he doing?"_

" _I think he's trying to catch fish."_

Ari snorts. _"Is it working?"_

" _Not really, no."_ His presence settles around her, like he's sitting right next to her with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. _"So how are you holding up?"_

She closes her eyes with a sigh, just focusing on his warmth around her. _"As well as can be expected, I guess. It's…a lot."_

" _You could say that again. I mean, first AllSpark, and now both knight and descendant of Merlin? Is Primus hiding anything else from you?"_

She appreciates him not mentioning any of the stuff with Ron. That seems bigger than anything else for some reason. _"I really, really hope not. If I find out I'm the queen of the universe or something, I'm changing my name and moving to Asgard."_

" _That doesn't sound like a bad idea,"_ Sideswipe says, and she can feel a thread of seriousness along the bond.

She gives him a curious mental prod. _"This about that retirement thing again?"_

" _Have you ever thought about it, Ari?"_ he asks and she so wishes she could see his face right now. He feels so guarded over the bond. What is he thinking, to question her choices in life now? _"About…not doing this anymore?"_

" _Honestly, Sideswipe? No."_ She itches at her sleeve in frustration, feeling the talisman moving around underneath again. _"I mean, I literally gained one of my AllSpark marks because of my decision to become Autobot Ambassador. And now you want me to just give it all up?"_

" _But don't you ever get tired of it? The danger and the running and the world-ending. The risky missions and battling politicians and the constant worry about keeping the world turning. There's so much on your shoulders, Ari. Doesn't it ever get heavy?"_

Mulling his question over, she pulls her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. He's not asking the question to belittle her, she can feel it. He doesn't mean for it to be insulting or disapproving. He's worried about her. _"Sure, it gets heavy. But I have so many people supporting me. I have dad and Phil and Elita. I have Optimus, wherever he is. I have all of the friends I've made over the years, the people who have become more like family to me. And I have you. You, all of you, you make everything easier. With you by my side, I know I can do anything."_

" _Yeah, I get that, but,"_ he hesitates, struggling to put his thoughts into words, _"do you really want to do this for the rest of your life? Didn't you ever want to do something else? See the world? Just…enjoy life?"_

" _I…."_

Really, Ari isn't sure what to say. She decided to become Autobot Ambassador at, what most would consider, a pretty young age. Most high school students don't end up in the career they choose at the time. But Ari did. She set her mind to it and succeeded. Then there was the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and revamping the organizations and working with the U.N. and just…so much on her plate. Like Sideswipe said. Not leaving a whole lot of time for anything else except for the occasional, brief vacation.

Before that, well. Before that was Ron. And she didn't think she had much of a future at all.

" _I never really considered it before,"_ she says slowly, itching at her shoulder now. _"What I do is really important. I keep you and the other Autobots safe. I keep the U.N. off your backs, plus the Avengers. I help run two secret government organizations tasked with keeping the world safe."_

" _But there isn't someone else you can teach to do what you do?"_

" _I don't think there's anyone else I could ever trust that much, no."_ She shakes her head, kind of sadly. She doesn't mean to distrust humanity so much but, well, they don't have the greatest track record either. _"I can't just step down, Sideswipe, no matter what else I may or may not want. And this isn't a job that's just going to be…not needed anymore."_

But now that he's put the thought in her head…would she ever want to do something other than this? Maybe not quit forever, but…just…enjoy a bit of life. Since she's going to have so many, many years of it.

The talisman slides back down her arm again and she growls in frustration, lunging to her feet. She yanks the zipper down on her tactical jacket, getting caught halfway before all but tearing it off. "This talisman is going to drive me insane," she mutters to herself, poking at the annoying metal thing as it slithers along her arm, up her shoulder, and starts sliding down the front of her tank top.

" _You alright?"_ Sideswipe asks in concern.

" _Yeah, it's just this fragging talisman. It won't stop moving and no matter how much I poke and pull, it won't come off."_

She tries to catch it before it disappears completely beneath her tank top, but she can't even get a fingernail under it. She just ends up scratching herself. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous."

It goes down her chest, shifting under her arm to her back, and then making a corkscrew trail back to the front of her stomach. She pulls her shirt up, trying again to pick the talisman, to put just a millimeter of space between it and her skin, but it won't budge.

"Hey, kiddo, Cogman just came back with like, a ton of fish," Tony says, voice echoing off the metal walls of the hall, getting closer. "He says he has a way of cooking them, though I wouldn't hold your breath. Anyway, Steve and Bucky packed some MREs, so, yeah, dinner is just about…what the frag is that?"

Ari looks up from the talisman, at Tony standing in the doorway looking at her stomach. She pushes her tank top back down, turning her back on him with her arms wrapped around her middle.

Anxiety makes her cold, chest clenching so tight she can hardly breathe.

"What the frag was that?" Tony asks again, louder this time.

"Just forget about it, Tony," she tells him, struggling to keep her voice from shaking. "I'm just having a little trouble with the talisman is all."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" More footsteps echo down the hall, drawn by Tony's loud mouth. "Those scars! What the frag were those scars?"

Two sets of footsteps break into a run and Ari closes her eyes, feeling Clint come up to her side. He touches a hand to her shoulder, light as a feather. When she doesn't move away or flinch, he steps in front of her, wrapping his arms around her.

She leans against him, just trying to breathe, but the panic won't subside. It grips her chest tighter and tighter, cold sweat trickling down her neck. She hasn't had an attack like this in so long, but….

" _Sweetspark?"_ Sideswipe asks, trying to keep his emotions in check so he doesn't overwhelm her but his concern is practically palpable.

" _He…he saw my stomach. My…my scars."_ She presses her face into Clint's chest and he tightens his hold on her, exaggerating his breaths. She tries to follow him, but her lungs keep stuttering, unable to expand all the way.

"Leave her alone, Tony," Natasha orders in her Black Widow voice, just as deadly as any of the weapons she carries on her body. She stands between Ari and the others, ready to do whatever Ari needs her to. "It's none of your concern."

"Not my concern? How am I supposed to not be concerned?"

"Tony, what's going on?" Steve asks, presumably everyone else here, too.

Great, just great.

"She's got scars on her stomach, that's what."

"We've all got scars, Tony," Bucky rumbles. "That doesn't mean we make a big deal about it."

"I'm sorry, but scars that spell out the word 'unwanted' aren't something I'm just going to ignore!"

" _Sides…."_

The air right behind her suddenly displaces, a familiar warmth standing protectively at her back. Clint presses a kiss to the top of her head, moving to stand at her back with Nat as Sideswipe's holoform takes his place.

She clings to Sideswipe, wrapping her arms around his waist as he holds her close. Her fingers dig into the back of his shirt. It's okay, she tells herself. It's alright. It's not that bad. She didn't tell them before because, well, it's hard to talk about. But that doesn't mean them finding out is the end of the world. She's done this before. But after everything that's happened today—Burton and Unicron and Ron and going to Grandpa Archibald's house. And now this, coming out of left field to blindside her. People have seen her scars before, but….

All of a sudden, it's too much.

"Just listen to my voice, Ari," Sideswipe says softly in her ear, a hand rubbing her back rhythmically up and down. "Can you open your eyes for me, sweetspark? Just open your eyes."

She cracks them open, staring up at his worried face and trying to focus on it. He smiles tightly. "There you are, sweetspark. Now, can you tell me five things you can see?"

The familiar words of the grounding technique help steady her, eyes wandering as she tries to single things out. _"Your hair."_

"Out loud, sweetspark," he reminds her gently.

She licks her lips, swallowing a few times before she can get her voice to work again in a raspy whisper. "Your hair. Machinery. Alliance." Her eyes dart over to a porthole. "The ocean. Fish."

"Good, very good," he praises. "Now, four things you can touch."

She grips the front of his shirt, the fabric bunching together in her fist. "Your shirt. Your hand, on my cheek. The talisman. The heat of your spark."

"Three things you can hear."

Her answers come faster now, her voice getting steadier as her heart rate slows. "The rumbling from the machines, the beat of your spark, your voice."

"Two things you can smell."

"Metal, the ocean."

"One thing you can taste."

"Sweat." She takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as the panic fully subsides. She leans forward tiredly, placing her forehead on his shoulder. His presence wraps tightly around her along the bond, helping to ground her further.

Primus, she hasn't had a full-blown attack like that in a long time. They just come out of nowhere sometimes, usually when she feels trapped in a crowd.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles into his shirt, wetness pricking at the backs of her eyes.

"No, no, sweetspark," Sideswipe says against the top of her head, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You know you never have to apologize for this."

"Apologize for what?" Tony insists. "What is this?"

"It's called a panic attack, numbscull," Natasha bites out. "I know you've heard of it before."

"That's not what I'm fragging talking about!"

"Ari," Lina says quietly, feet clanking softly on the metal grating as she steps forward. "Do you want me to handle it? Or do you want Nat to stuff him in a torpedo pod?"

"Hey!"

"It's in the past, Tony," Ari says, suddenly feeling so tired. "It's not like anyone is hurting me now."

"Yes, but they did," Loki says solemnly. "We have all let you help us with our hurts. Please, allow us to help you with yours."

That really decides it for her. She doesn't want to hide from them. These are her friends. She has no reason to hide it from them and, really, why shouldn't they know the truth? To learn about the bad in her family, not just the good?

They want to help. And she wants to let them.

She looks up at Sideswipe, reaching up to touch her fingers to his jaw. "You can stay, right?"

He catches her hand, kissing her fingertips while his eyes never leave hers, so full of love. "Of course. Sunny and Elita have a hold of my alt mode. They're good for as long as you need me."

"Thank you." She pushes up on her toes, pecking his lips with a kiss before turning to face the others. They all stand quietly—even Tony—waiting for her decision. Clint, Natasha, Lina, John, Evie, Loki, and Rob already know this story, but Tony, Steve, and Bucky don't. She's tried so hard for so long to just forget about her past. Sweep it under a rug like it never existed. Like she never existed before Ari Lennox came into being.

Arianna Witwicky died years ago. Only, she didn't. She's a part of Ari. A part she's come to realize she can't just ignore Not to herself, and not to her friends either.

So she tells them. She tells them of all she endured. She tells them of the mother who didn't want her. She tells them of the father who constantly beat her. She tells them of the monster he became. How he almost raped her. How he became obsessed, so much that he was willing to side with the Decepticons in order to get a hold of her again.

There is darkness in her family. Darkness that runs in her veins.

"That is some heavy stuff," Bucky says, tearing off another piece of fish from the plate in his lap. Where Cogman got plates from, Ari isn't sure. But she wouldn't be surprised if he keeps some tucked away in case of butler emergencies.

"It…happened," she says simply, curling into Sideswipe's chest where she sits in his lap. "I don't like to think about it. For obvious reasons. That's why I never told you."

It's not something she ever just…offers up. Lina has been the only exception. Although there was Loki, though he was a special case considering everyone thought he was still a sociopath and all. Everyone else just…finds out eventually. Usually by seeing her scars.

"Really, I'm surprised Tony didn't find out before today," Rob says, flicking a fish bone in Tony's direction. "Don't you usually Google everyone you meet?"

"I do not Google," Tony retorts, throwing the small bone back. "I have a lot fancier and more accurate search engines than Google."

"What, did Pepper cut off your access or something, then?" Evie teases.

Tony pouts, focusing on his fish as he mutters a, "Maybe."

That's a yes. A definite yes.

"That's hilarious," Clint says, digging into his third fish. "Nat and I found out from actually reading her file before heading off for the whole Anti-Alien thing."

Ari arches a brow at him. "You mean the inch-thick file that no one has access to?"

"No, I mean the heavily redacted file that's only about a few pages thick. Gives you the highlights."

"Well, frag," Sideswipe chuckles, tightening his arms around her waist. "Phil's been holding out on us."

"Nah, I kind of figured they'd have something like that," Ari admits, leaning her head back on Sideswipe's shoulder. "I mean, no file at all would be a bit conspicuous. Dangerous thing to be, especially when Galloway was still in the picture."

"Aftpipe," Bucky mutters, accepting his seventh fish from Cogman.

"Is it normal for humans to consume so much sustenance?" Cogman asks, staring in poorly disguised disgust as Bucky tears his teeth into the fish.

"No, him and Steve are just the exception to the rule," Evie tells him. "Though you should see Thor eat. Now that is impressive."

"Anyway, Ari, back on topic." Steve yanks his cowl off, running a gloved hand through his wild hair and not really fixing it at all. "It's okay that you never told us. We completely understand. But…for what it's worth…I think you're really brave."

Ari's brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're brave for telling us. And for surviving it."

She shakes her head. "You guys have been through a lot worse."

"Don't do that, _kotyonok_ ," Natasha says, green eyes flashing. "I know you've heard it before. Don't compare stories like that. Someone else's experiences don't make yours any less hard."

"And you are brave for surviving Ron," Sideswipe murmurs in her ear. "You didn't let it—you didn't let him break you. You used it to make yourself stronger."

She swallows heavily, clenching at Sideswipe's forearms around her. "I…never really thought about it like that."

She doesn't like thinking about Arianna Witwicky. But, really, she's the reason for Ari being the woman she is today. The reason she found the strength to become Autobot Ambassador. The reason she didn't run away scared when she learned of her AllSpark marks and what they would mean. The reason she's not going to let Unicron win.

The reason she was found worthy. Of the talisman. Of Merlin's duty. Of the AllSpark.

The darkness helped shape her light.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe we have arrived," Cogman announces, gesturing Ari towards the front of the ship. "Come, have a look."

Sideswipe helps her to her feet and Ari turns towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist to give him a tight hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ari." He presses a tender kiss to her lips, tracing her nose with his. "See you in a few minutes."

His holoform blinks off and Ari heads for the front of the ship, where the nose of the sub is made up entirely of glass.

Ari gasps, kneeling down in front of the windows as everyone else crowds around behind her. A massive ship lays at the bottom of the ocean in front of them, designed as a giant ring with a cross in the middle.

Just like the symbol on the talisman.

Nature and time have worn away at the ship, fish swimming in and out of gaping holes in the hull. However this ship landed here, it wasn't easy or smooth. It looks to have crashed here centuries ago.

"You are the first to see this ship since the Dark Ages," Cogman confirms for her. "Your talisman is the key to unlocking it."

"You mean that thing still works?" John asks skeptically.

The talisman tingles against the skin of Ari's forearm and the ship gives an echoing pulse of electricity. It lights up like a Christmas tree, systems coming back online to open up an entry port in the side of the ring big enough for Alliance to navigate through.

"I guess that answers that question," Clint says as Alliance takes them in, slowly moving through a tunnel until it opens up above them. She raises them up, breaking the surface of the water into an air pocket.

"I'm kind of surprised there's air in here," Steve comments. "This ship barely seems intact."

"Hopefully none of the important parts are underwater," Ari says, getting to her feet and heading back down the sub to the ladder. "Come on, let's go check it out."

The Alliance opens her top hatch for them and they climb up to stand on top of the sub, staring around a bit dismally. Wires and piping hang all over the place, small bursts of fire or electricity erupting in a couple places every so often. This part of the ship may not be completely flooded, but it is partly, the closest dry surface of floor several meters away.

"Well, now what?" Ari asks, turning to Cogman for pointers or direction.

He simply shrugs. "You're the last knight and descendant of Merlin. You figure it out."

Ari sighs. Of course. Burton leaves him with them and he turns out to be no help at all. "Let's go, then."

She drops down into the water, shivering as it comes up to her chest. At least her tactical uniform provides some form of warmth and waterproofing, so it's not quite bone-chilling.

"I'm not going in that water," Cogman balks, the others dropping into the water around her. "My gears would be sucked into my main shaft."

Bucky pushes him forward, making Cogman fall into the water with a loud splash. He scrambles to stand as tall as he can but the water still comes all the way up to his chin. He glares up at Bucky when he lands next to him. "Now you're on my slag list."

"What, you were taking too long, leprechaun," Bucky says with a smirk, bringing his rifle around on its strap to hold it in his hands. "It's just a little water, it's not gonna offline you or anything."

Ari shakes her head, fighting down a chuckle. "Come on, guys. Stay together and stay alert. Who knows what we might find in here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something that kind of bugged me in the movie. The Alliance had to be a Cybertronian. One of the guardians, even. Seriously, there's no other reason for an old submarine to suddenly wake up and know the location of the staff. But they never acknowledge it in the movie. The Alliance is just...a sub. And takes them to the ship, for almost no reason that they really talk about. And that's it.
> 
> Well, I decided to give Alliance a voice. Because, seriously, Ari would see her as more than a mode of transportation.
> 
> And it got me thinking. Vivian's family knew Alliance was out there, waiting. Meaning Archibald would have known, too. And since she went into stasis as a World War II submarine, then there was a very, very good chance she and Archibald actually knew each other personally. (That's where I messed up in continuity, I forgot Archibald died before the end of World War II, well before Alliance would have ended up at the Navy Museum. Oops. But I figured there can't be that many ships named specifically HMS-Alliance out there.)
> 
> And then Ari having her panic attack. Honestly, I kind of felt bad about it, but she has some serious coming to terms with her past to do. She's really mostly ignored all of it up until now. (The grounding technique is something that's helped me in the past. It was kind of hard to describe, but I hope I did okay.)
> 
> Next chapter will have the return of a mech I seriously miss. And it will be up next weekend, though I can't promise Saturday. I have stuff I've got to do and I'm not sure when I'll have time to update. But I will try for at least some time next weekend.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	7. The Tomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is late. It has been a LONG weekend, and it's probably going to be an even longer week. So I'm just gonna leave this here and call it a night.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

They make their way to the closest unflooded area, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Elita following behind them. They find a corridor and head down it, not really sure where they're going. They walk for a ways, the Autobots ducking beneath hanging wires and pipes, when the walls suddenly shift around them. A new wall slides in front of them, blocking their path while a thin hallway opens up on their left, only big enough for humans.

"I guess the ship wants us to go this way?" Rob says, poking his head into the hallway. Pipes jut out of the walls, reminding Ari of a hallway of spikes boobytrapped to suddenly close in on them.

Cheery thought.

"No choice but to just go with it, I guess," Ari says, since they can't exactly go back. "Sides, Sunny, Elita, try to find a way around."

"You be careful," Sideswipe tells her.

Ari gives him a smile. "Always."

She leads them down the hallway, carefully avoiding the pipes and watching her step. No one says anything, all of them too tense for chatter, too on edge with thoughts of what might be lurking in here just waiting to pounce out at them.

The hallway opens up into a wider corridor, this one without any pipes but instead has big holes in the floor. They edge their way around them, taking it slow, but then Ari stops at one with snaking pipes and wires traveling down it into a chamber below.

Ari kneels at the hole, peering down to see that the wires go all the way down to the floor below. Sideswipe comes into view and waves at her, motioning to her to come down.

"I think this is it," Ari says, taking hold of some of the wires and giving an experimental tug. Feels sturdy enough. "Come on, down we go."

They climb down into a massive chamber, a circular floor in the center suspended over a seemingly bottomless pit by support beams jutting out of the walls. Two knight statues kneel at opposite sides, facing the center like they're welcoming anyone who might climb down into the room.

Well, it definitely looks like they're getting somewhere.

"This way," Ari says, leading them down the only hallway out of the room. More knights line the hall, standing at attention with their swords held in front of them, tips pointed at the floor.

"It's like they're guarding something," Loki murmurs, looking up at the knights in fascination.

The hallway opens up into another circular room, more knights standing at attention facing the center of the room. Writing is etched into the floor and Ari kneels to examine it.

"What is it?" Natasha asks. "Cybertonian?"

"No," Ari says, brushing dirt off the words with a hand, "I think it's Celtic."

Sparks dance across the surface of the floor at the contact and Ari quickly stands, backing away with rounded eyes. The floor moves, the center opening up to allow a stone tomb to rise to the surface. Ari can tell it's centuries old, the top of it etched into the figure of a man just like they do for knights' tombs.

An old man, with a long beard holding a staff.

"This is it," Ari says breathlessly, quickly stepping forward to run her hands along the cool stone. "Merlin's tomb."

"What's it say?" Evie asks, tracing the writing etched into the side of the tomb curiously.

Ari takes a look, the AllSpark automatically translating. She swallows heavily. "It says 'No one shall have it'."

None of them move, Tony looking at each of them impatiently. "What, we came all the way here and we're not going to open it?"

Ari gives her head a shake, shaking off the foreboding. "Of course, we are."

"C'mon, Buck," Steve says, placing his shield on his back. He and Bucky get on one side and together they push the lid of the tomb clear off, falling to the ground with a solid _thud_.

Ari looks inside with eager anticipation. Only for her smile to fall. The others gather around and they stare inside the tomb with dismay. A body does lie inside, nothing but withered bones, tattered robes, and a stringy beard. And he does hold a staff.

But the staff is just plain wood.

"You've got to be kidding me," Rob exclaims in disbelief, plucking up the staff and rotating it in his hands. "We've come all this way for this? For your ugly great-great grandad's bones in a box and some stupid stick?"

Tony yanks the staff from him, inspecting it closely as if they just need to discover some secret button in the wood or something, but he just ends up shaking his head. "You've got to be kidding me. How are we gonna save the world with this?" He tosses the staff angrily across the room. It clangs against the floor, rolling to the edge of the platform. "I could have cut a better one than that out of an oak tree!"

"Maybe someone stole it?" Natasha asks, mouth forming a grim line.

"No," Ari says stubbornly, shaking her head in denial. "There has to be something else. It has to be here somewhere." She moves over to one of the knights lining the room. This one sits on the ground, legs splayed out with his back perched against the wall. Definitely not a statue. This one was once alive. Ari climbs up, determined to get some answers.

Somehow.

"Uh, Ari?" Sideswipe says cautiously. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"We didn't come all this way for nothing. The whole world's at stake. There must be something."

She peers at the knight's, inspecting the gash on the side of his head. Maybe she can heal him, bring him back online. He's got to have some answers.

She doesn't get a chance to. His optics come back online all on their own, shining a bright green as he takes in his first breath in centuries. He rocks himself to his feet and Ari scrambles off, backing away slowly as he gazes around like a wounded animal.

"Who has come for the staff?" he growls out, raising a sword in each hand and swinging them around wildly. He staggers forward, almost like he can't see, stomping right through Merlin's tomb and reducing it to rubble.

Hopefully there was nothing else important on that.

"I'm supposed to take the staff!" Ari calls up to him. "I'm Merlin's descendant!"

He doesn't seem to hear her. He swings his swords around, almost hitting them, and Ari draws her gun. "Fire! Fire! Take out his optics!"

They fire at his head, someone getting in a clean shot that shatters his right optic. He staggers backwards, swinging out a sword towards Ari. She jumps to the side, landing on one of the support beams with her legs dangling into the pit.

"Ari!" Sideswipe yells in alarm.

"I'm fine!" She leverages with her elbows, using all her upper body strength to pull herself up onto the beam. The knight comes towards her again and she launches herself to the side, landing at the edge of the platform near where the staff landed.

All of this over a wooden staff? Really?

Sunstreaker rolls in behind him, using his blades to slice through the back of the knight's knee. His leg buckles, making him overbalance, and he tips sideways, falling off the platform and down, down, down into the pit. Ari strains her ears, but she doesn't hear him hit the bottom. Not so much as a thud.

"Slag," she mutters in relief, grabbing the staff and using it to haul herself to her feet.

Sparks dance across the wood from her hands and she gasps, watching in amazement as the wood transforms. It falls away like scales, revealing metal underneath. A mechanical staff with a wide top decorated with the knights' insignia. The ground vibrates beneath her, the ship powering up and beginning to rise.

"Are you serious?" Tony exclaims, the faceplate of his Iron Man armor retracting. "It just needed the squirt to touch it?"

"Guess it's kind of particular," Ari says, gripping the staff in both hands.

This was Merlin's. Her ancestor's. He held it hundreds of years ago and left it here. For her. Power trickles along her skin from the staff, the talisman vibrating on her arm like in welcome. But it's not a warm welcome. It's cold. Ice cold. Not cold as in evil, just…deadly. A deadly purpose. All-consuming. All-powerful.

Something inside herself pulses, like twin hearts. That piece of the AllSpark she's never wanted to use.

The kind of power that could very well bring her down with it.

Images flash across her eyes. An old man with a long beard and a kind smile. Her heart leapfrogs in her chest. Merlin. Can he sense her, wherever he is?

Then the image changes, to a Cybertronian femme with purple optics full of malice and anticipation. Optics she's seen before.

Ari gasps as the images fade away, chest tightening as she holds the staff close. "Quintessa knows we have the staff," she tells the others, none of them questioning how she knows. "She'll be coming for it now."

The rest of the knights, the ones lining the hallway they went through, begin to rouse, optics lighting up as they come to attention. They lift up their swords and axes, chanting together with eerie voices, "Protect the staff."

"Oh, slag," Evie mutters, just before the knights attack.

The knights charge at them dead on, ready to defend the staff and protect it from any who might take it. Including Ari. But before anyone can shoot, another battle cry joins the din, a familiar sword slicing through into the room.

"Optimus!" several voices echo, full of happiness and giddy relief. Ari rushes forward to meet him as the last knight falls and he puts his sword away on his back. But something feels off. She slows to a stop, frowning up at Optimus and his...emptiness.

He doesn't respond. He doesn't seem happy to see them, happy to be home. He just looks blank.

"Optimus?" she says quietly, wishing to be wrong, wishing she's just overreacting, that he's just in full-focus battle mode or something.

But then she notices the red mark on the side of his face, like some kind of birthmark. And his glowing purple optics.

"I've come for that staff," he says, not sounding like himself at all. He sounds cold. Angry. Staring at them like he doesn't even know them.

He kneels down in front of her and for the first time since she's met him, Ari feels fear.

"Optimus," she says, trying not to let her voice shake. This can't be right. This can't be happening. "Optimus, what are you doing?"

"Give it to me," he orders.

"Optimus, it's me, Ari. We're friends. We've fought together."

"I fight for my own kind," he growls, almost a roar. "My own planet!"

Ari shakes her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "This isn't you."

"Give it to me," he reaches for his sword, hand on the hilt, "or I will kill you."

"Ari?" Sideswipe's worry saturates the bond, not just for Ari, but for Optimus. Neither of them ever thought Optimus capable of something like this, but...well.

Something must be wrong.

"Give it to me, human," Optimus demands again, the use of her species instead of her own name shaking Ari to her core.

"Just do it, Ari," Rob says, everyone pointing their weapons at Optimus like he's the enemy, but they know they can't beat him. Not if he's truly determined to fight them.

And he is. He's completely serious. He'll actually kill Ari if she doesn't do as he says. She can see it in those purple optics.

Slowly, she hands him the staff, watching numbly as he puts it away in a compartment in his chassis. He walks off back down the hallway, not giving them even a backwards glance. Elita reaches out to him and he just brushes right past her.

Elita's face crumbles, pressing her hand to her chassis. "No. Something is not right. That was not my Optimus."

"That looked like Optimus to me," John says bitterly, fists clenched at his sides. "Seriously, what's the big guy doing? Did he just...turn on us? Is he one of the bad guys now?"

"No," Ari says, that one word dropping like boulders as she wipes at her eyes with the back of her arm. She lifts her chin up defiantly, determined to fight. "Elita's right. That wasn't Optimus. Something else has a hold of him, and if those purple optics were any indication, I'd bet anything it's Quintessa. Her optics are just like that."

"So, what, she's controlling him somehow?" Tony asks skeptically.

"Wouldn't be the first time we've seen mind control," Clint reminds them. "Thanos was able to use the Mind Stone to control Decepticons, so it's definitely possible."

"And if anyone can snap him out of it, it's you," Ari tells Elita, touching a hand to the side of her leg. "Go after him, Elita. Try to use your bond to reach him."

"I already tried," she says despairingly, shaking her head. "Either he ignored me or could not hear me."

"Don't give up on him. You love him, and you know he loves you, too. That bond is stronger than any hold Quintessa has over him."

Elita nods, first a little, then more firmly, optics blazing. "You are right. I will not let her have him."

Ari grins. "Atta girl. Now, go! We'll catch up."

Elita takes off down the hall after Optimus, her lithe form allowing her to go faster than any of them. She's one of their fastest Autobots, and she uses all of that speed now. Ari leads the charge after her, trying to think of where Optimus might have gone. They could go back to Alliance, but Optimus wouldn't have gone that way.

That leaves going up.

They take random hallways, anything that slopes upward. The ship gives a jerk and they stagger, reaching out to the walls to steady themselves. Ari can feel a gentle rocking motion in the floor, like a boat. Meaning they must have broken the water's surface. Her head goes up, searching for any sign of daylight and finding a speck in the ceiling further up the ship. She heads towards it, using some of the wires and pipes to climb towards it.

They find a large hole leading outside, allowing them to climb up on top of the ship. Ari looks around, trying to orient herself. They've come out in the center of the ring, where the two beams of the cross intersect.

She spots Elita at the outer ring, her own sword drawn as she fights Optimus.

"Elita!"

Ari runs for her, boots slipping along the wet metal. Waves crash over the surface of the ship, taller than even the Autobots, and sending them tumbling to the ground. Ari grits her teeth, pushing herself to her feet again and keeps going.

Another one plows into them and Ari goes flying, skittering along the metal and flying right towards the edge of the ship. Sideswipe catches her just in time, holding her to his chassis and keeps them moving.

Ari clings to him, eyes riveted to the fight they head towards.

Optimus shoves Elita aside, swinging his sword at her and he barely misses. "I am Nemesis Prime!" he declares with a snarl. "You are nothing."

"Optimus!" Ari calls out, Sideswipe still struggling to get them there because of the waves, but his feet are steady, keeping them moving forward. "Optimus, you've got to stop!"

Elita lets out a cry as she charges forward, tackling Optimus around the middle and surprising him with her strength. Ari has seen them spar before. Elita is just as capable of taking Optimus on as Ironhide. She lifts him in the air and tosses him to the ground, Optimus sprawling on his back.

Sideswipe puts Ari down when they're near and she rushes forward, quickly climbing to his chassis to look him in the face. "Optimus, look at me. You've got to stop. This isn't you."

He tosses her aside angrily and Ari rolls along the ship, catching herself with her hands. She gets to her feet, yelling at Optimus to stop, but he doesn't listen.

The ship continues to rise, levitating out of the water and climbing higher and higher into the air.

Optimus gets back to his feet, going at Elita once more. He rushes at her, pummeling her to the ground and raises his sword. She jerks her head to the side just as it comes down, the tip embedding into the ship's metal. Optimus let's out a frustrated growl, holding Elita down as a knife extends from his forearm. He pulls his arm back, ready to strike.

"Optimus, my love," Elita pleads, raising a hand to touch her fingertips to the side of his face. "It is me, Elita-One. I am your sparkmate. Please, do not do this. Do not make me leave you here alone."

Optimus blinks, arm still held back. But he doesn't move. "E-Elita?" He blinks again and the snarl melts from his faceplates as his optics return to their usual blue, the birthmark disintegrating from his face as well. The blade retracts and he leans back. "My sparkmate. My other half."

Elita sits up, looking up at him in such hope. "Optimus?"

Horror makes his face crumble. "What have I done?"

"Oh, Optimus." Elita gets to her knees, throwing herself at her sparkmate and wrapping her arms around his neck. He holds onto her tightly, face buried in her neck as he shakes.

Ari lets out a slow breath, running her hands over her face. Thank Primus. He's back.

A roar builds in the air and Ari's head snaps up, spotting two fighter jets racing right towards them. But they're not human machines. They transform mid-air, Megatron and another Decepticon landing on top of the ship. Megatron grins. "I knew you couldn't do it, Prime."

He yanks Optimus away from Elita and she screams, scrambling to go after him but the other Decepticon shoves her aside. Ari races forward but the Decepticon pulls out his blaster, aiming it at Elita's head. Ari freezes, the others tensed behind her.

"You're time is over, Prime," Megatron says, gripping Optimus by the neck and shoving a hand in his chassis. Optimus cries out in pain as Megatron forcefully pulls the staff out of him. "You failed. You turned your back on Cybertron. Now you will watch Earth die."

Megatron jumps, transforming back into his alt mode and jetting off before the other Decepticon lowers his blaster and follows him. Ari runs forward, like she can actually go after them, but all she can do is stare as they get further and further away.

The staff. Her birthright. Taken from her.

To kill Primus. And the Earth.

"Now what?" Sideswipe asks and Ari turns. Knights climb up over the side of the ship, the twelve knights who were guarding the tomb.

Ari smiles, thinking they're here to help. To help them go after Megatron and stop him before it's too late. But they don't look towards where the staff was taken. Their optics don't even turn towards the sky.

They stare right at Optimus, converging on him with weapons drawn.

"You betrayed your own kind," one of them accuses, slamming Optimus across the face with his sword.

"No, Optimus, get up!" Elita begs but he doesn't rise from his knees. He just sits there, taking it as the knights hit him again and again. Elita and Sideswipe try to reach him but the knights close ranks, not letting anyone past.

Ari manages to slip through, making it to Optimus's side. They don't see her as a threat.

"You chose the wrong side," another knight says, hitting Optimus again. He falls forward onto his hands, staring at the ground.

"The guardian knights are going to kill me," he murmurs, not horrified. Not scared. But like he knows he deserves it.

Which is something Ari is not going to stand for.

"Quintessa is the great deceiver!" A knight raises his sword, ready to give the finishing blow. "The judgment is death."

"No!" Ari yells, getting in front of Optimus and raising her hand.

The talisman races down her arm and into her palm, transforming outward into a large broadsword. Her other hand goes up on instinct, taking the sword in both hands and blocking the knight's blow. The force of it vibrates through her whole body but she easily takes it, the strength of the sword, the strength of the AllSpark, helping her stand firm.

They all step back in astonishment, lowering their weapons as they chant, "The last knight. Merlin's descendant."

Ari holds her sword out at her side, staring them down until they back off.

No one's hurting her friend.

"Ari, I have failed you," Optimus says mournfully, and Ari turns. He still stares at the ground, more helpless than she has ever seen him before. "I have doomed Earth. Earth," he finally looks up at her, eyes brimming with tears, "the only place in the universe whose people let me call it home."

"Optimus, it's not your fault," she tells him softly, pressing her hand to the side of his face where that mark used to be. Elita comes up to his side, kneeling beside him with a hand on his shoulder. He barely even looks at her, his guilt billowing off of him in waves. "Optimus, it's not."

"How can you say that?"

"It wasn't you, big guy," Bucky says, him, Clint, and Loki stepping closer as well. "We've been there before and you didn't let us blame ourselves."

"Let's just say, welcome to the club," Clint says, trying to bring him some levity. "We should start a support group. Brainwash Victims Anonymous."

"It is not a true anonymous group when everyone outside the group knows all involved," Loki says blandly. "But, please, Optimus. Listen to us. The only one to blame is Quintessa."

"I know you're hurting, Optimus," Ari says, giving him her kindest smile. "But you are the only one who can make this right. I can't do it without you. One moment. That's all we have. This is your moment, Optimus. It's now or never. Because without you, we all die."

The darkness in him won before, but he doesn't have to let it now. They can all fight it— _her_ —together.

Optimus's tears recede as he reaches for Elita's hand on his shoulder, clasping it tightly with his own. He looks back at her and she smiles at him.

"There you are," Elita whispers, stroking the side of his face. "Welcome back, my love."

"Thank you," he says, looking to her and back to Ari. "Thank you both, for standing by my side and never giving up on me."

"You don't have to thank us for that," Ari says, hoisting her sword onto her shoulder. It's deceptively light for a huge metal weapon strong enough to repel a Cybertronian knight. "So, you ready for this?"

"I am," he says, his rumbling timber back to his familiar confidence. He stands, raising his own sword and addressing the knights who still stand around them. "My brothers, I will never betray you again. I am Optimus Prime. To save Earth, we must go to Cybertron and destroy Quintessa."

"And Unicron," Ari says grimly, queasy anticipation bubbling in her stomach as she remembers the power pulsing in the staff.

One moment. That's what this all boils down to.

Is Ari ready for hers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into the final showdown. And Ari is going to have to make a decision about this power she's capable of.
> 
> Next chapter next week!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	8. In the Name of Duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know some of you were expecting the big battle to start this chapter. But I'm gonna havta disappoint. Because it hasn't really started yet. There was...stuff...I had to do.
> 
> Some kinda evil stuff.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

Three quinjets rise up over the edge of the ship, emblazoned with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo of the stylized eagle. The Cybertronian ship still moves underneath them, heading somewhere, but Ari's not sure where exactly.

Just that it seems to be heading straight to where Cybertron wants to come down, pieces of its land reaching out on vines like octopus legs, drawing the planet's core closer to Earth. But that's not just a planet up there. That's Unicron. Unicron is doing that. He's not fully awake yet—not back to his full power—but he will be. Soon.

Unless they stop him.

The quinjets land on the ship's outer ring, their cargo doors opening up to let a few soldiers out. Ari spots a familiar face and runs to him, colliding into his chest and holding on tight.

"Dad!"

"Hey, kiddo," Will says in quiet relief, holding her close and placing a kiss on her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She pulls back a little, just enough to look up at him. "But what are you doing here? I thought you were done with field missions?"

"You thought I was just gonna let you deal with the end of the world on your own?" he asks with a sly smile. "Not a chance."

"Mom's not going to be happy," she warns, arching a brow at him, but he doesn't cower.

"Please," he scoffs, rolling his eyes, "your mother's the one who sent me." He pulls her close for another hug and she buries her face in his chest. "Family sticks together, kiddo. Always."

"Thanks," she whispers, feeling something inside her chest loosen. With her dad here, another person in her corner, everything feels a little bit more doable. And after everything she's learned today about her family and her heritage….

Primus, she needed this. The Witwicky name may be a part of her, but it's the Lennox name that feels like home now.

"Alright, so what's the game plan?" Will asks, backing away and looking over their group. His eyes land on Optimus and he grins. "Hey, big guy, good to have you back!"

"It is good to be back," Optimus replies with a small smile before smoothing his face and straightening his shoulders. "We need to stop Quintessa from using the staff. She should be in the ignition chamber towards the center of the conglomeration. I will send everyone the coordinates."

"Alright, let's get back on the ground and regroup. On the way, you can explain to me how you ended up at Stonehenge."

Ari stares up at him in bewilderment as she lets him lead her to a quinjet. "I'm sorry, but did you say Stonehenge?"

"Are we about to destroy another world wonder?" Sideswipe asks, only half joking.

"I don't know," Will replies, "but if this ship keeps it's heading, then it'll end up flying right on top of it. Doesn't feel like a coincidence."

"Remind me to talk to Phil about sending teams to other mysterious landmarks," Ari says with a dry chuckle. "Maybe the Great Wall of China. Seriously, what are the odds that the pyramids and Stonehenge were both made by aliens?"

"Another problem for another day."

Ari turns back to Sideswipe as the humans pile into the quinjets. He kneels down, pressing a kiss to her lips. "You guys can get down okay on your own?" she asks.

"Yeah, no problem." He kisses her again, warmth flowing over the bond. "See you on the ground."

They get the quinjets in the air, lifting off of the ship and heading a safe distance away where more quinjets are unloading soldiers on the ground, ready to fight. She spots Thor, Sam, Bruce, and Trent, along with all the rest of their Autobots and several teams of human soldiers.

An army, ready for the battle to save the planet.

"I see you found trouble again," Trent calls out over the roar of the quinjet engines when they land, meeting Ari in the middle.

"Well, you know how trouble likes to find me," Ari says with a shrug, looking over at Stonehenge and freezing. The ship hovers directly overtop of it now, and, standing in the middle of the ring of stones, is Megatron, holding the staff up over his head like a declaration of war. "We've got to stop him."

"He's activating the portal for the energy transfer," Optimus says, transforming his arm into a blaster. "Autobots, fire!"

The Autobots and humans form ranks, firing on Megatron, but it's too late. More stones rise up out of the ground, letting off a burst of energy. Ready to suck Primus and the Earth dry. Their force rush forward, trying to get closer, to maybe take the staff from him. Megatron just grins at them tauntingly, the jets of his alt mode opening up in his back and propelling him into the air like a jetpack before they can even get close.

"Frag," Rob curses, running a hand over his head. "Now what?"

"We get to the ignition chamber," Ari says simply, turning back to the quinjets. "Think these can get us up there?"

"I've looked at the coordinates," Tony says, shaking his head. "It's pretty high up in the atmosphere. Air that thin, the quinjets won't operate very well. They weren't made for going all the way to space or anything. The engines need air."

"Then how about we go up in this bad boy?" Wheeljack asks giddily, throwing an arm up at the Cybertronian ship coming towards them from over the horizon.

Ari arches a brow. "Is that the Cybertronian ship we took from Lockdown?"

"The one and the same! Thought it might come in handy. All the Quinjets can fit in it, no problem, and it's made for zipping out of the atmosphere."

"So we go up in that, launch the quinjets out the back, and glide down." Tony crosses his arms in front of his chest, nodding along. "Yeah, that just might work."

"Alright, then let's do it," Ari says, clapping her hands together. "Let's hustle, people, I want to be out of here in ten." She looks up at Optimus, giving him a hopeful smile. "You ready for this?"

"Indeed, I am." He looks out over everyone and everyone pauses what they're doing, their faces messy and sweaty, some of them hurting, some of them tired. All of them afraid of what's to come.

But they look right back up at Optimus and they see hope.

"Knights, Autobots," he says, clenching his sword at his side. "My human allies and friends. This cannot and will not be the end. To save Earth and her people, we are going to steal Quintessa's staff." He looks to Ari with a nod and she nods back in determination. "Only you, Ari, can take it back. I will lead the way into her chamber. And when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour."

He sets his sword on his back, head lifted towards the sky, and he takes off, jet flames bursting out of his feet as he flies towards Cybertron.

Thor shakes his head with a fond smile. "That mech makes the best speeches."

"He really, really does," Ari agrees with a laugh, happy to see the confidence restored in the others. And in herself.

They can do this. They can. They will not lose this day.

"Alright, guys, let's roll out!"

* * *

Everyone piles into the Cybertronian ship—quinjets, humans, Autobots, and all. As they do, sparks start to fly between the pieces of Cybertron, running up and down the vines. Stonehenge starts crackling as well, as if in answer, reaching up to the knight ship.

It's begun. Whatever the staff was supposed to activate to allow Unicron to absorb Primus—it's started.

And Cybertron begins to move.

The tentacles reach out to the earth, scraping along the surface anywhere they can reach. And Cybertron is huge. It doesn't take up just this valley.

"It's all over the news" Tony informs them, watching it from inside the Iron Man suit. "Cybertron is scraping away entire cities. Millions of people are going to die if we don't stop this soon."

"But what's it doing?" Ari asks, leaning against Sideswipe's leg as their ship begins to move, propelling them towards Cybertron. "I mean, the Primes said Unicron is literally going to suck Primus's energy away. How's he going to do that?"

"According to satellites, it's using Earth's geothermal energy to reconstitute and rebuild itself."

"I think I remember that from high school science," Evie says. "That has to do with the Earth's core, right?"

"Yeah, but the Earth's core isn't just a hunk of metal," Ari reminds them. "It's Primus. There's a giant Cybertronian down there."

"And it's rapidly cooling," Tony tells them. "I'm guessing as this Primus guy loses power, he's cooling down. But the Earth relies on that heated core. As it cools—which it's rapidly cooling right now—the magnetic field dissolves, exposing us to high levels of cosmic radiation."

"So the Earth's going to become a microwave," Bruce surmises, taking off his glasses and rubbing at the spot between his eyes. "We're the popcorn. As soon as Primus offlines, we're all going to fry."

"Great," Bucky says, shoulders tense as he goes over all his weapons. "Just great. So don't mess this up, then."

"That's usually how these end-of-the-world things go, yeah," Ari says on a sigh, looking around at all her people and hoping this is going to be enough this time.

Though, this time, they have Cybertronian knights. But they don't join everyone. Not to check over their weapons. Not even just to talk.

They just stand apart, even from their fellow Cybertronians, the Autobots.

"I'll be right back," she tells the others, walking across the platform with trepidation. Sideswipe prods at her over the bond, asking if she wants him to come with her, but she calls him off for now.

They stare down at her, emotionless, almost reminding her of the Dinobots. They've been away from their own people, civilization, everyone, for so long, locked in stasis for centuries. Do they remember, what's it's like? What everything was like before Quintessa betrayed everyone and forced them to flee from everything they knew and love?

"Hello," she greets them, keeping herself loose and pleasant. Just in case they decide to get all fight-y again. "My name is Ari. Ari Lennox."

"We know who you are, descendant of Merlin," one of them replies coolly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah, now you do," she mutters to herself. Though they probably hear it anyway. "If you knew that, then why did you attack us before? It's not like anyone else would have been able to open that tomb."

"We had to be sure. The staff must be protected at all costs."

"And now it is gone," another intones, full of anger and self-loathing and a voice Ari recognizes. A tall femme steps forward from the back of the group, looking not as stiff and blank as the others. More friendly. More open.

Ari tilts her head. "Alliance?"

The femme manages a small smile. "Yes, hello again. It is good to be up on my feet once more." The smile falls to despair. "I knew it would come one day, but I did not know this day would be so full of failure. I— _we_ have failed our mission. It is our duty to protect Primus and we have failed him."

"No, you haven't," she tells them, meeting their optics and making sure they don't look away. "We can still win this. We all work together, and we can beat Quintessa and stop Unicron once and for all."

"Perhaps." Alliance kneels down in front of her, just as big as Optimus and just as imposing. "But whether or not we stop Unicron, that all depends on you. AllSpark."

She inhales sharply, wondering how they knew, when they could have seen her marks. Maybe Alliance saw when Ari was in her alt mode? Or maybe Primus told them, that this was something that was always going to happen and they've just always known.

"Will you have what it takes?" Alliance asks, seeming to stare right into her soul. "Will you have what it takes to rid the universe of Unicron completely, for the good of everyone?"

Will she have what it takes? The power she was told she has, over life and death, it's not something she ever wanted. She has the power to give new life. She probably has the power to create an entirely new universe, if she wanted. But no. That time is done. The AllSpark will only make new Cybertronians, now, when the time is right.

But then there's the other side of that coin. The opposite of life is death.

With the snap of her fingers, she can wipe Unicron out of existence like he was never here. Well, she's sure it's more complicated than that, but the power _feels_ that massive. It's not something she ever thought she'd be able to do with the AllSpark. She doesn't want that power.

Who is she to be the judge of who lives and who dies?

But they need her to. This isn't just her judgment. The entire universe needs her to do this. Unicron isn't going to change his ways. He's never going to not try to destroy everything.

So he has to go. Or else they will never know peace.

"I will," she vows, feeling her resolve settle around her. "Get me to that ignition chamber, and I'll take down Quintessa and Unicron for good. You have my word."

Alliance raises her chin, regarding her with respect. "Even at the cost of your own life?"

A part of her wants to deny it. Refute it. Fight against it. They'll make it through this. They've gone through the end of the world before, they'll do it again. They'll all make it through this just fine.

But something seizes in Ari's chest. A dread she's been feeling since she first heard Cybertron was coming here. A dread that, maybe they won't all make it out of this. At least, she won't.

Not this time.

"There's a chance this power will kill me," she whispers softly, "isn't there?"

"I'm afraid so," Alliance replies, green optics gleaming with regret. "The AllSpark has made many changes to your body but…there is a reason the AllSpark was first contained as a metal, inorganic cube. There is a high possibility that, as you disintegrate Unicron, your body will disintegrate as well."

Ari looks over at the others. They're talking together, enjoying this moment of reprieve. Lina says something and everyone laughs, Sunstreaker shooting her a dirty look that does nothing to mask the love in his optics.

Sideswipe shoves his brother's shoulder playfully, his happiness like a warm blanket around her shoulders. He looks up at her—as if sensing her gaze—and smiles, that crooked smile she loves so much. She waves to him, smiling back while her heart breaks, carefully hidden away where he won't feel it.

They are sparkmates, connected with this bond that has fascinated and excited her and brought her so much joy.

But this duty of hers, taking out Unicron. It might just kill her. If it does, then the bond will bring Sideswipe right down with her.

Never does one sparkmate live when the other dies. If one dies, the other always follows. It may be an hour or even a day, but it always happens.

She lowers her head, clenching her eyes shut tight. She thought they made it past this. Her lifespan, now matching his thanks to the AllSpark's final gift. The gift of time. Now, that time may be taken from them. Her feeble humanness is still going to get him killed.

But if Ari doesn't do this, then they're all dead anyway. Him, and everyone else she loves. She can't condemn them all, not even for Sideswipe.

"I…I'll do what I have to," she whispers hoarsely, lifting her head and pushing the tears away. "I'll do whatever Primus needs me to do."

"Good," Alliance says with an approving nod, standing to her feet once more. "Because you are our only hope, Ari Lennox. It is all up to you."

"These guys aren't giving you any grief, are they?" Lina asks suddenly, wrapping an arm around Ari's shoulders and leaning into her side.

Ari sways a little with the weight and smiles, shaking her head. Can always count on Lina to stir things up. "No, Lina, we're all fine here."

"Are you sure?" She glares up at the knights like she's ready to fight them if she has to. "You're not going to attack Optimus again, are you? Because that was so not okay. He's a Prime, for Primus's sake! It's in there, in the name. Prime. Prime-us. Totally makes him a default good guy, and what do you punks do? Attack him. All because of a little brainwashing!"

"He did need to be stopped, Lina," Sunstreaker points out pragmatically, him and the others coming over to join them. The knights shift on their feet a little in trepidation, but Alliance stands firm and so they don't walk away.

"Yeah, and Elita did a bang-up job of it. Snapped him right out of it. But these guys didn't start beating on Optimus until after the brainwashing was fixed. Seriously, so not necessary!"

"He jeopardized everyone's chances of survival," one knight grinds out between clenched teeth.

"Doesn't mean you attack him," Lina retorts, hands stubbornly on her hips like she's giving a toddler a scolding instead of an alien two hundred times her size. "It means you help him. That's all he needed. Just a little help. None of that was his fault."

His optics narrow at her. "Actions have consequences. What he did could very well doom us all."

"And he gets that. Seriously, if you knew Optimus, you'd know he's beating himself up more than you ever could."

"Lina…." Elita says, brow furrowed, but Lina waves a hand at her without turning away from her stare-down.

"No, these guys seriously have a lot to learn about what it's like to be friends and I plan on educating them."

The knights pull up short at that, sharing quizzical looks before one of them replies, "Friends?"

"Yeah, friends." Lina's expression softens, lips turning up in a smile. "You're one of us now. An Earthling."

"Have you not thought about it?" Ari asks, head tilted curiously. "About what you're going to do once all of this is over."

Based on their blank expressions, they haven't. Not even Alliance, who's lived among humans before. But that was necessity. Ari wonders if they even think they will make it out of this fight alive.

"Well, welcome home," Lina declares with a big grin. "Earth's got a lot to offer and we'll be happy to show it to you. Provided you don't attack anyone else, of course. Friends don't hurt friends."

"You…are our friends?"

"Of course, we are," Elita says, clapping him on the shoulder. "Your people are here. Earth has become our home. We would be happy and honored if you would join us here."

The guardians exchange glances, something soft finally piercing the cold. "We…would like that. Very much."

Ari smiles, a little happy, a little wistful, and a little sad.

She hopes she'll be here to see this when all this is over. But it's good to see that they'll be fine without her, if the worst happens.

"Alright, guys, we're coming up on the drop point," Will announces, the levity around them abruptly dissipating. "Time to load up."

Ari turns to Sideswipe as the others head for the quinjets, chewing on her lip. He senses her unease and kneels down, wrapping an arm around her and placing his hand on her back. "What's up, sweetspark?"

"Nothing, it's just…." She steps forward and he picks her up, wrapping her up in his arms. She nestles into his neck, closing her eyes and just hanging on. "Everything's going to be okay, right?"

"Of course, it is," he soothes, running his fingers through her hair. "Sweetspark, we're us. We've done the impossible before and we're going to do it again now. Just have faith, in us and our team, and we'll make it through."

She tilts her face up, gazing into his blue optics and just trying to absorb some of his optimism. "Promise?"

It's unfair of her, she knows. Especially since he doesn't exactly know where this is coming from. But…she needs this. Just…something to help her get through the next hour.

And hopefully see the one after that.

"I promise, Ari," he presses a kiss to her lips, trying to pass all of his hope and faith to her along the bond. "We can do this. You'll see. We'll get you to the staff and you can take Quintessa and Unicron down."

"Yeah," she whispers softly, really hoping he's right.

But being successful could mean the end for her.

Still, she goes, because what choice does she have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm gonna go hide now...yeah...see you next weekend?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	9. As Long as We Both Shall Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a fondness for this chapter. The characters really spoke to me during it, told me things I didn't know before, and led me more than I led them.
> 
> It's all Nat's fault, I swear.
> 
> Go onward and enjoy!

They load up the quinjets, the Autobots standing next to them ready to drop down from the Cybertronian ship. The knights join together, transforming to form a huge, three-headed dragon.

Now that is seriously fragging cool. No wonder there are stories of knights battling dragons in medieval times.

The cargo bay door opens up and the quinjets power up. Ari takes a deep breath, strapping on the parachute she hopefully won't need.

She takes another breath, closing her eyes and slowing her heartrate. That moment right before things hit the fan is always the worst. All the questions roiling around in her head. All the fear and anxiety and doubts.

She opens her eyes again as the quinjets slide backwards out of the ship, gliding through the air.

"Contact!" Clint calls from the cockpit of her jet. "Ignition chamber!"

"What is it?" she calls back. "Decepticons?"

"Yeah, we got a bunch of them flying around in ships, plus a huge fragging cannon on the piece of land where the chamber building sits."

Clint weaves them through the air like the hawk his name comes from, Natasha in the seat next to him arming their guns. All Ari can do is hang on, hoping her two favorite spies can get them to the ground safely.

No. No more doubt. There's no room for doubt. Clint and Natasha will get them there, and they will do this thing.

They will make it through this. Including Ari. Because Sideswipe's right. They've done the impossible before, and they can do it again.

But still, her chest tightens, getting tighter the closer they get to the chamber.

"We're coming in hard!" Clint yells, only slight panic in his voice.

::Ari,:: Phil's voice crackles along her ear comm, going in and out, ::Ari, come in.::

She presses a finger to her ear, straining to hear over all the blaster fire. "Phil! We're about to go in to the ignition chamber. We're going to get the staff and bring Cybertron down."

::Negative, negative. The Council has ordered you to stand down.::

"They _what_?" She can't believe this. She can't fragging believe this. Why does the Council—or any human authority for that matter—always go against what Ari knows to be best? "This is the only way, Phil. We either get the staff or the Earth dies."

::Scientists here at S.H.I.E.L.D. think they have a plan.::

"They _think_?" Ari barks out a bitter laugh. "Well, I _know_ our plan is going to work so you can tell the Council to go shove it up their afts."

The quinjet gives a jerky shake. "I'm gonna crash it!" Clint calls. "Everyone hang on!"

They continue to shake as they steadily descend, ending in a banging crash that sends some of the soldiers stumbling to the floor. As soon as they get to a standstill, everyone leaps to their feet, the cargo door going down to allow them to spill out onto Cybertron.

And into a warzone.

Blaster fire zips by left and right, Decepticons firing at them from all sides, even from the air as they fly by in ships. Rocks and debris litter the ground around the crash site and they dive towards the pieces, looking for any kind of cover. Especially from the cannon sitting right outside the chamber. It's massive, raining down shots all around them as big as small bombs.

Ari draws her gun, firing at anything that moves as she tries to glance around. All their quinjets seem to have made it. Thor, Sam, and Tony are already in the air, trying to provide air support, but there are so many jet fighters everywhere. Ari didn't know there were even this many Decepitcons still on Earth. Or did Quintessa bring a contingent of her own?

The dragon snaps Decepticon ships right out of the sky like they're each a light snack. But will it be enough?

"That cannon's gonna tear us apart!" Will calls out from behind a crumpled engine. "We need to move forward, get close enough to take it out."

Sideswipe lands beside them on his feet, dirt flying up around him from the impact. He draws his blaster as the other Autobots land around him, pulling on a smirk. "We've got you. Just keep moving forward."

"Alright, guys!" Ari yells, standing ready in a crouch on her toes. "We're moving up!"

They make a run for it, the Autobots raining down cover fire so they can advance. Dirt flies up all around them as the cannon narrowly misses, but each shot gets closer and closer to taking someone out.

They near a hexagonal crater in the ground and Ari slides forward into it, the crater wall providing perfect cover for everyone. They continue to fire back, the ships thinning from the skies as the dragon, Thor, Sam, and Tony go to town, but there's nothing but flat land in front of them now. Go any closer, and that cannon's going to have a very clean shot of them.

Ari peeks over the top of the crater and curses under her breath. Megatron stands guard in front of the door, along with six other Decepticons, each with horns like a bull.

"Great," she mutters, switching out her clip. "Just fragging great. Anyone got eyes on Optimus?"

"That's a negative," Trent reports. "No sign of Optimus."

"We're going to need him if we want to get past Megatron," Rob says, shooting at something behind them.

They are seriously pinned. They need to level the playing field.

"Uh, guys," Evie calls out in alarm, pointing towards the chamber, "we've got trouble!"

Ari peeks over the side again and curses again, even more colorfully this time and in several of the new alien languages she's learned. The six bull-headed Decepticons are merging together, their parts shifting and realigning until they form one massive Decepticon, at least twice the size of Optimus.

Okay, time to call in the big guns.

"Bruce!" Ari yells, finding him down along the crater's wall with his head ducked down. He looks over at her, eyes flashing green. "Do you think Hulk can do something about that big guy over there?"

"He'd certainly like a piece of him," Bruce growls, unbuttoning his shirt and dropping it at his feet. His entire body bulges, veins popping out along his arms and neck as he grows in size, his entire body turning green.

He leaps into the air, jumping several stories high before slamming back down to the ground several feet away between them and the chamber.

Hulk smiles back at them with a manic grin wearing nothing but the specially designed elastic shorts Tony and Wheeljack made him. He doesn't seem to care that he's so under protected, just faces forward and leaps into the air again. He lands right in front of the bull Decepticon, not giving him a chance to raise one of his blasters again before Hulk tackles him around the middle.

"Alright, that's one problem taken care of," Ari says, turning to the rest of the team. "For now, at least. What are we going to do about that cannon?"

"I've got an arrow that can take it out," Clint offers, pulling one of his arrows from the quiver on his back. He spins the shaft between his fingers, showing off the bomb strapped to it the size of two AA batteries placed together end to end. "Got enough of a payload on this bad boy to take out that cannon easy. The thing is, it's got some serious weight to it. I'll need to be closer in order to hit that thing."

Ari shakes her head. "Any closer and you'll get shot before you can even draw your bow back."

"I might have an idea," Loki says, brow drawn in hesitation. "But it will be risky."

"Risky's about all we got now," Clint admits. "Shoot."

"I can create doubles of you. Illusions that will hopefully trick the Decepticons long enough for you to get close and fire."

Clint frowns in worry. "Hopefully?"

Loki shrugs. "Their scanners won't be able to pick up the deceit, but there is still a chance they hit you instead of a copy by chance."

Clint's jaw clenches. He looks at the cannon and then back again.

"It's up to you, Clint," Steve says, "but we don't have a whole lot of options here."

Clint swallows. "Yeah, I know. That's why I'm doing it."

"Clint," Natasha starts but he shakes his head.

"No, Tasha, I have to. It's the only way."

"I know that, just…." She lifts a hand to his face, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips in the first sign of outward affection Ari has ever seen from them. And they're married. And Ari's known them for literal years. Natasha pulls back, pressing her other hand to her stomach. "You come back to us, you hear me? Because I'm not raising our daughter on my own."

Clint goes completely slackjawed in shock, looking to her stomach, to her face, and back again. "But…but you can't be! I mean, you literally can't! The Red Room…."

"I know," she says with a breathless laugh. "I know. They cut me open and took away my ability to get pregnant. But, I guess…life found a way."

"But you can't!" Clint balks, and Ari can practically see the gears in his head trying to process. "You can't even know it's a girl yet. You're not even showing!"

"Oh, you know how it is." Natasha's mouth curls up into a sly smile. The kind that always spells trouble for Clint. "A mother always knows."

He lets out a wet laugh. "Primus, Tasha, I just…." He leans forward again, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. When he pulls back he smiles from ear to ear, leaning his forehead against hers. "Primus, Tasha, I love you."

"And I love you, birdbrain." She pats his cheek fondly, pulling back and jerking her head towards the fight. "Now, go on. You better get going. And you better come back in one piece. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am." He gives a jaunty salute and then straps his bow to his back, placing his hands at the top of the crater ready to vault over. "Alright, Loki, let's do this."

Loki waves his hand and several copies of Clint shimmer into being, just as real as any Autobot's holoform. They smile, bounce on their toes, pull out their bow, each of them moving completely independently and uniquely from the others.

The real Clint takes a deep breath and then pulls himself up the crater, his clones doing the same around him. They take off towards the ignition chamber, some of them getting shot out right away, but every time one does, Loki just conjures another, all of them running around each other in weaving patterns that make it difficult to tell where the real Clint went.

"Clint, do the Naruto run!" John calls after him.

Several of the Clints glare back at him, answering with an echoing, "Frag you, John!"

"Do you even know what the Naruto run is?" Ari whispers to Loki.

"No," he replies, face full of concentration as he focuses on the running illusions. "Darcy has not yet gone over this 'Naruto run' in her weekly pop culture lessons she does with Steve, Bucky, Thor, and I. But even without that, it was not difficult to imagine Clint's response."

Ari snorts. "Remind me to have Darcy add it to her lesson plan when we get back."

So long as she makes it back, that is.

::Ari,:: Phil suddenly says over the comms. ::Ari, come in.::

She has half a mind to ignore him, already imaging what he's going to say, but it's Phil. She can't just ignore him. "What is it, Phil? We're kind of busy here."

::The Council has ordered all of you back. I told them you had a plan but they still want to go with their idea.::

"And what the frag is their idea?" Will asks over the comm.

::There's a chunk of planet suspended above you on your three o'clock, hanging by thin vines. Do you see it?::

They look over and spot it, a chunk twice the size of a demolition ball stuck to another, larger piece of planet. "Yeah, we see it."

::They want to shoot at it with tactical nukes, take out it's support, and let it swing. The trajectory should knock it right into the ignition chamber and take it out. No more building, no more energy transfer.::

Will glances at Ari, already gauging the stubborn set to her shoulders. "Kiddo, you have to admit, it's a good plan."

::They don't know if it's going to work!:: Jane pipes up, sounding like she's had the argument several times already with the other scientists. she tells them, shaking her head in disbelief that they're actually considering this. ::This is alien technology, technology _none_ of these people have ever worked with before. They don't know for certain if that thing is actually going to take out the chamber, and they definitely don't fragging know if that'll be enough to stop the energy transfer. There are too many unknowns!::

::The scientist seems pretty certain,:: Phil protests feebly.

"Well, that's not good enough," Ari says, squeezing Will's shoulder and begging with her eyes. "Come on, dad. You know I can stop this. My plan is a hundred percent certainty. I have to do this."

::It doesn't matter what you do,:: Phil says with a heavy sigh. ::The Council has already given the go ahead. The jets are on their way. They want you to set the target and then get the frag out of there.::

Will's eyes widen, glancing over at the chamber and then shaking his head. "Ari, we've gotta go. We are danger close. We can't be here when that thing swings over."

"Then you guys go," she says resignedly, looking over the crater when an explosion booms through the air. Looks like Clint made it, and he's taken out the cannon. She also spots Optimus, come to join the fight and working with Hulk to take out the bull Decepticon. "I'm staying to finish this."

_Even at the cost of your own life._

Will's face crumbles. "Ari…."

"No, it's okay." She goes in for a quick hug, praying it isn't her last. "Get the others out of here. If the Council is going through with this whether we like it or not, then you need to get them safe. The Autobots can help me punch the rest of the way through to the chamber."

He cups her face in his hands. "You come back to me, Ari. I'm serious. You are my daughter and I need you to come back."

She drudges up a smile, ignoring her stinging eyes. "I will try my best."

"I'm coming with you," Lina declares, chin lifted in defiance ready for a fight. Ari's tempted to give it to her, but the fight just isn't in her. Instead, she just grins.

Selfishly wanting her friend with her until the very end.

"Get ready to run, then."

Ari pulls herself over the ledge of the crater before anyone can stop her, running full tilt towards the ignition chamber with her best human friend right at her side. The bull is down, Megatron nowhere in sight, and the Autobots run around them providing all the cover they need.

Sideswipe keeps pace right beside her and she smiles at him, feeling like this is Mission City all over again. Or maybe Egypt, since Lina's here as well. Or even Chicago, since Cybertron is trying to force its way here again.

Other impossible days. And this day will turn out just the same.

An explosion sounds from their right, the Council's plan going into motion. Literally, the piece of land swinging right towards them like a wrecking ball. Ari just keeps running, focusing on the chamber entrance.

"Hurry!" Optimus calls to them, waving Autobots inside. "Quickly, Ari!"

She feels the force of the piece of ground hitting just as they get a foot inside, the impact sending them flying forward. The ground tips as the chamber begins to break away and fall, the floor becoming a downward ramp.

They slide down it as the ground around the chamber crumbles away. Ari grabs onto a pillar, arms yanking painfully as she pulls herself up. Lina screams as she starts to fly by and Ari grabs her just in time, pulling her up to sit on the pillar as well. Flaming bits of debris fall all around them, explosions going off, and then the force of falling fills Ari's chest as the chamber completely breaks away from the rest of the planet.

But nothing stops. The staff still sparks from where it sits impaled into the floor. The sparks still shoot up to Quintessa where she floats in the air between two stone knights, their swords held up on either side of her with sparks racing along them as well.

Nothing stops. The energy transfer is still going, even without the ignition chamber attached to the planet.

So this is it. This is the only way.

And the Council just made it ten fragging times harder for her.

"Ari, when we get back," Lina huffs, yanking her hair up into a ponytail, "can I fire the entire fragging Council for you?"

Ari chuckles, shaking her head and not sure how to do this now. "You go right ahead, Lina. But you'll have to be quick, because I seriously want to strangle them right now."

The floor spins and tilts as they fall through the air, tumbling down, down, down towards the ground. Suddenly, it evens back out again, making Ari and Lina fall off the pillar and back down to the floor with painful thumps. They quickly get back to their feet, along with the Autobots, the floor slightly tilted but at least walkable now. They must have gotten stuck on something, halting their descent, but something tells her it won't last.

Decepticons spill out from a side chamber, Megatron leading the charge, determined to hold them back until the energy transfer is complete.

Ari shoots Lina a grin. "Ready to run?"

Lina holds up her gun. "You got it. You just focus on getting to that staff. I'll cover you."

"And us as well, Ari," Optimus declares, pulling out his sword. "Get to that staff."

Ari and Lina take off in a sprint. Fighting goes on all around them, Decepticons reaching out for her, but Ari just keeps going, trusting Lina and the Autobots to keep everyone off of her.

"Megatron, kill her!" Quintessa screams, but Optimus reaches him first.

He tackles Megatron around the middle, both of them sliding across the floor. Optimus gets to his feet first, taking his sword and slicing off Megatron's right arm.

"We were brothers once," Megatron snarls at him from the floor, Elita and Ironhide coming up on either side of him to make sure he has nowhere else to go.

Optimus nods once, holding his sword up in both hands with sad optics. "Once."

He brings his sword down, cutting off Megatron's head. Killing his brother for the second time.

Ari tears her eyes away. She can't think about that right now. Focus!

She reaches the staff, grabbing it in both hands and yanking with all her might. Just as she begins to feel it slide out, the floor tilts again, this time spinning wildly over and over again. Ari gets thrown away, body going weightless as the chamber goes into complete freefall.

"Ari!" Lina calls out, holstering her gun and holding out a hand. "Take my hand."

Ari reaches out to her, grasping her hand and holding on as tight as she can. Lina spins her body around, Ari spinning with her and gaining momentum until Lina lets go, launching Ari towards the staff. She grabs onto it again, the ground going level once more as the chamber catches on something else. Stopping their fall for precious minutes.

She plants her feet on the floor on either side of the staff and yanks.

"No!" Quintessa cries, floating through the air towards her.

Ari smirks. "It's over."

She pulls the staff out and everything stops. No more sparks, no nothing. The energy transfer interrupted. Ari holds the staff in one hand, bottom planted on the ground as she glares up at Quintessa. "You've done enough harm for one lifetime, Quintessa. You and Unicron both. Your time is done."

Ari beats the staff against the ground, sparks rising up all around her.

Quintessa's purple optics widen, feeling the full force of Ari's power. "No. What are you doing?"

"Taking back that which was given to you."

Quintessa tries to flee but Ari flings out a hand, fingers splayed. Sparks fly out towards Quintessa before she can get even a few feet, holding her in place as if she's wrapped in chains.

"That's enough," she tells her firmly. "You can't run from this."

"Ari," Sideswipe says, him and the others coming up around her, all the Decepticons offlined. "What are you going to do?"

She gives him a sad smile. "What Primus needs me to do. He trusted me with this incredible power. Now, he needs me to use it to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again." The sparks increase, shooting across the room like blue lightning. She knows what's coming and it's not going to be easy, or safe. "You guys need to get out of here."

"But, what about you?" Optimus asks.

Her smile goes brittle. "I…I'll be alright."

"No, you won't," Sideswipe growls. "Don't you lie to me. You know it's useless."

She looks up at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears. "Sides, I…," she swallows heavily, words lodged in her throat, but she forces them out anyway, "there's a chance this power's going to kill me." She feels his fierce denial over the bond like a punch to the gut, his fear and his grief, and she just shakes her head. "It's true. But either way, we're still thousands of feet in the air and I'm about to get rid of the thing we're standing on. I need you to go. I need to know that you're safe."

"No!" He kneels down next to her, just daring her to try and move him. "I'm not going anywhere, Ari. We're in this together, remember? As long as we both shall live. So if you're going down, I'm going with you. If this really is it, then I want to be right here next to you when it happens."

Tears slip down Ari's face but she nods, letting him come closer to bow his body around her, wrapping himself around her as much as possible with her still wielding the staff. There's no arguing with him and she really doesn't want to. If she's about to die—and take him with her anyway because of the bond—then she would much rather have him here with her, too.

Giving them as many seconds together as possible.

Sunstreaker steps forward, hand half-raised and tears brimming in his optics as well.

"I have to do this, Sunny," Sideswipe says, voice choking off on his brother's name. "I have to."

"I know," Sunstreaker whispers, Lina leaning against his leg in comfort and he leans towards her as well. "Just…I love you, bro."

Sideswipe gives a wet smile. "I love you too, Sunny."

Ari takes in a shuddered breath, feeling time ticking down as the chamber slips from where it got stuck. "Lina, when you get back to the Triskelion, I need you to do something for me."

"Name it," Lina says, valiantly trying to blink back her tears.

"There's a black flash drive hidden in my office desk. The password to access it is the name of your old website."

Lina snorts, wiping at her cheeks. "Really, Ari? My website?"

Ari cracks a smile, remembering how they came together, how Ari was nervous about sharing a dorm room with someone into conspiracy theories and digging into Cybertronians. And now here they are. "On that flash drive is everything you'll need to keep S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. going."

Lina's brow furrows. "You're trusting me with that?"

"There's no one I'd trust more." Ari feels a door crack open inside herself, a door she's poked at before but knew it wasn't time yet. Now, there may not be anymore time at all, so she pushes it open, stepping closer to Lina and Sunstreaker. "There's one more thing. A question I want you to answer honestly, alright?"

"O…Okay."

"Do you love Sunstreaker?"

Lina balks, glancing up at Sunstreaker with reddened cheeks. "I…uh…."

"Honestly, Lina. An honest answer. Do you love him?"

Lina takes in a deep breath, staring up at Sunstreaker with a soft smile. "Yes, I do. I love him."

"And what about you, Sunstreaker?" Ari asks. "Do you love Lina?"

"I do," Sunstreaker answers immediately, no hesitation at all.

"Then I give this to you," Ari murmurs, reaching out a hand to them. Sparks flow down her arm, winding in soft spirals from her and branching off into Lina's and Sunstreaker's chests. They both take in a deep breath, surprise and uncertainty and confusion beating in their eyes, but they don't pull away.

Ari twists her hand, unlocking that potential that's always been inside them, just like it was inside her and Sideswipe. Giving them the chance, should they want it. Plus a little gift, when they decide to follow through.

The gift of time.

Before Ari pulls back, Ari senses something, something in Lina's blood. She takes a closer look with the AllSpark and finds a few drops of Witwiccan in Lina. Ari smiles, so wishing she had known this sooner. Guess Burton lost track of a line in their family tree. They're not the only two Witwiccans left in the world, after all.

No wonder Lina and Sunstreaker are meant to be together. Primus's trust flows through Lina's veins as well. She'll take care of the Autobots in Ari's stead.

The floor gives a hard jerk, wobbling back and forth dangerously like it's going to tip on them again. "You have to go," Ari says urgently, taking the staff in both hands. "We're about to fall again. I need to do this now."

Lina's eyes widen, shaking her head. "But—!"

"Get them out of here, Optimus," Ari begs, knowing she can trust him to do the right thing. "Please, just go!"

"You will be greatly missed, Ari, Sideswipe," he says softly, pushing the Autobots towards the door where she can just make out the Cybertronian ship waiting for them. "And you will never be forgotten."

"No!" Lina cries out, trying to step towards her, but Sunstreaker grabs her around the middle, making a mad dash out of there. All of them leave, all of them looking back in goodbye, until only Ari and Sideswipe remain.

One of Ari's doors slams wide open, power brimming out of her stronger than anything she's ever felt from the AllSpark before. The staff answers its cry, beginning to glow a soft blue. Energy crackles down her arms, feeding into the staff, and she holds it above her head.

She gives Sideswipe one last burst of love over the bond, and then she brings the tip of the staff down on the floor.

Sparks burst out of the tip of the staff, spreading all around them, licking at the ground, the walls, reaching out to the entire planet. To Unicron.

For just a moment, she can feel him, his anger reaching out to her, but he has no strength to fight back against his fate. Quintessa screams where Unicron cannot, her body enveloping in blue until she dissolves like snow, vanishing from existence completely.

Unicron begins to do the same, the planet, all its many pieces connected by writhing vines, it all begins to crumble away like dust, blowing away in the breeze until nothing remains. The life he was given at the beginning of all things being taken away.

Bright sunlight pierces through as the room of the ignition chamber begins to dissipate, the walls and floor following as well. The last of Unicron to be erased away. She gave them as much time as possible, leaving this part of the planet as last, but now it seems they are done.

Ari closes her eyes, her power surging into a crescendo, and then she feels Unicron's spark fade from the world completely.

She and Sideswipe continue their freefall, but she keeps her eyes closed, not wishing to see how long they have until they reach the ground. But before she feels them hit bottom, her mind fades away, the massive power of the AllSpark overpowering her senses and sucking away her breath, pulling her into a black oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This battle scene was really intense, with lots of things happening and (movie wise) filled with conversations that didn't (couldn't) happen in my fic. So Nat took me by the hand and told me she was pregnant. Took me by surprise, just like it did Clint, but I rolled with it.
> 
> The mention of Naruto run I blame on that whole Area 51 fiasco from a while back but I couldn't help myself.
> 
> Lina tagging along, well, I just didn't argue with her. And I figured Ari needed moral support. And an opportunity to give Lina and Sunstreaker a little something.
> 
> And this was the part when I realized that Ari might not make it out of this alive. I had to go back and flesh out previous chapters with this knowledge after writing that scene. I didn't actually know it until this moment.
> 
> Yay, another of my infamous cliffhangers!
> 
> Next week, it may take me longer to post than usual. I'll try for the weekend, but circumstances may push my update time back into Monday or Tuesday. I'll try, though, because this is it. The final chapter (two chapters, since I have a tradition of posting the last two together just like the first two).
> 
> Next week is the end, my friends.
> 
> It's been wild.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	10. Peace At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a very horrible person for making you guys wait so long with a cliffhanger like that. And yet I enjoy making you squirm far too much to care.
> 
> Alright, alright, go onward and enjoy and find out what happened to Ari. (You guys seem to have forgotten that I'm a fan of happy endings.)

Ari opens her eyes to sunlight, confused and disoriented as she feels solid ground beneath her. She's no longer falling, a delight and surprise. Her fists clench and she freezes, heart dropping.

Sand slips between her fingers. She turns her head, spotting the craggy mountains of Egypt.

She's not truly safe, after all. Just in a place that doesn't truly exist. She wonders, is she still falling, or is this just one last stop before her spirit moves on?

She gets to her feet just as the Primes start slipping out from behind the mountains, coming to meet her with smiles on their faces. They seem ecstatic about something. Hopefully not about her approaching death.

"Do not worry," the first Prime says in leeway of a greeting, getting to his knees to kneel in front of her. "You are safe, Ari. You and Sideswipe both."

Ari's brow furrows, trying not to get too hopeful. They're technically safe, too, but they're dead. "What do you mean?"

"Your time is not up quite yet," he tells her, smile pulling into a full grin. Something she's never seen on him before. "The AllSpark and Primus still have need of you."

"So…Sideswipe and I aren't dead?"

"No, you are not."

"The power of the AllSpark really didn't kill me?"

"It didn't."

All the air whooshes out of her chest at once, Ari bending over with her hands on her knees. "Well, thank frag for that."

She didn't kill them. She really didn't kill them.

"We brought you here to thank you," he continues, and Ari straightens once more, trying to pay attention over her overwhelming relief. "You've done it, Ari. Unicron is no more. We thank you for all that you have done for our race, for your willingness to sacrifice so much for us, and for finally putting an end to this war."

"Wait, what?" Ari looks between them, seriously confused. "Which war? You mean the Cybertronian Civil War? Between Autobots and Decepticons?"

It's over? It's truly over?

"Tell me, Ari," the femme Prime says, kneeling down as well. "What started the Civil War?"

Ari thinks it over, wrapping her arms around herself. "Well, Megatron started it, I guess. He defected first, turning on his people, and he brought others with him, creating the first of the Decepticons."

The first Prime nods. "Correct. But, what caused Megatron to turn?"

"The Fallen," she replies, remembering Egypt and everything Megatron did for his old master. "He corrupted Megatron into helping him, wanting to destroy everything they thought of as inferior to them."

"Yes, and who first turned the Fallen against us?"

Ari blinks, remembering that first piece of history she learned so long ago. "Unicron. He turned the Fallen against all of you, trying to get him to turn on a sun harvester in Egypt to destroy our sun."

And probably hurt Primus as well, as a result, now that she thinks about it.

"Correct again. It is Unicron who started the chain of events that eventually led to the start of the Civil War. And, now that he is gone, there can be peace once again." He leans down even further, putting his face level with Ari's. "You have offlined the last of the Decepticons this day, Ari. Their leader, Megatron, is dead, and the cause of the infection is gone. With Unicron destroyed…."

"There's no one left for the Autobots to fight," Ari realizes breathlessly, her arms dropping to her side. The corners of her mouth tick up, hope bubbling in her chest. "They're not Autobots anymore. They're just Cybertronians. The…the war is over and they can finally…live."

It is over. It's all finally over.

"And that is because of you, Ari," he says happily. "And now that there is finally peace, you may now use that life mark for it's original intention."

Ari raises her hands to her mouth, letting out a giddy laugh. "I can create life! I can give the Cybertronians sparklings. I can…I can help them rebuild their race."

The family so many of them have always wanted. She can give it to them. It's safe to. And it's safe for them to find their sparkmates and bond and just…settle down. Live the peaceful life.

The Primes stand once more, the first giving her a warm smile. "It has been a true pleasure and honor to have known you, Ari Lennox."

"You as well," she says, knowing that this time, truly, she will never be back here again. Though, she thought that last time. "I hope you won't have to do another surprise pop up again."

He chuckles. "Yes, we do as well. Hopefully, next time we meet, it will be a long time from now and you will be joining the Well of Sparks yourself with your sparkmate, earning the long rest you will rightfully deserve. But in the meantime, Ari, I hope you live a long and full life, surrounded by your family and friends and so, so much love."

They begin to fade and Ari braces herself to go back to her body and reality. Before it all disappears completely, a voice carries over on the breeze, so soft and so familiar she can almost place it. Almost. She turns around, trying to find where it's coming from, and spots a form standing in the distance, large and hulking and standing in front of the sun.

She squints against the bright sunlight, walking slowly closer. He's definitely Cybertronian, larger than any she's ever seen before, but she somehow…she somehow feels that he's actually bigger than this.

She can make out a smile, green optics shining happily. "Thank you, Ari, for all that you and your ancestors have done for me. I am glad to know that the AllSpark was right when it showed me what would happen. It chose a wonderful host with a big heart."

Ari's breath hitches, eyes widening.

"Please, take care of my children," he continues, his form beginning to fade as well. "And I don't just mean the Cybertronians. Your human race feels so much like children to me as well. I feel happy and content to remain your home until the end of my days. Go. All of you, live a happy life and know that I will always be with you."

* * *

Ari wakes to a cool breeze blowing across her face, blowing tendrils of hair across her face. She wipes them away and turns into the warmth around her, pressing into the metal.

Large fingers stroke through her hair and she smiles, opening her eyes to see Sideswipe holding her close to his chassis, looking down at her in love. "Hey," she whispers softly.

"Hey, yourself." He lifts her further up on his chassis, pressing he's face against the top on her head. "You alright?"

She leans into him, holding a hand to the side of his face to keep home close. "I…I really thought we weren't going to make it through that time."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." His presence wraps around her over the bond, pulling them as close as they can possibly be. "But we're us. We do the impossible, because we're awesome like that. Of course, this time we had a little help."

He tilts his head and Ari looks down, finding them sitting on top of the guardian dragon, flying through the sky. She looks around at the horizon, just taking it all in. Bits of rock and rubble and machinery litter the ground, Stonehenge itself looking a bit more broken than it already did. There are indents in the earth where Unicron scraped at the ground, trying to suck the life out of the planet.

But the sky is clear. There's not a trace of Unicron left, just the sun setting on the last day of a struggle that seemed so endless when Ari first got dragged into it.

And now it's over. When the sun rises again, it will be a brand-new day. The first of several new days filled with peace for the Cybertronian race.

The dragon circles around Stonehenge and the group of people gathered down below. He lets out a bellowing roar, fire bursting out of his middle mouth as his wings flare out, slowing their descent to land them gently on the ground. Sideswipe slides down the side of the dragon's body to the ground, keeping Ari held in his arms as everyone runs over.

Sunstreaker reaches them first, Lina perched on his shoulder, and wraps his brother up in a hug. "Man, don't do that," he says fiercely, holding on tight.

Sideswipe moves Ari to his shoulder so he can wrap his arms around Sunny in return. Lina scoots over to Sideswipe's shoulder to reach her, hugging her as well. "Seriously, guys," Lina breathes. "That was seriously close. We could see you falling through the air and you looked so…lifeless. When the dragon grabbed you, we half thought he just grabbed your bodies."

"We're okay," Ari says, trying to work her throat past the lump. "It…it was close, but we made it out okay."

As soon as Lina and Sunstreaker are done with them, more people demand hugs. Ari lets out a wet laugh, motioning Sideswipe to let her down, though she's not sure her feet ever leave touch the ground as she's passed from person to person. She bounces back and forth between Cybertronians and humans, ending up in Will's arms who holds on the longest, and the tightest.

"You need to stop doing this, kiddo," he says, voice tight in her ear. "When they told me what you were going to do…I swear you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days."

"Actually, I don't think I am," she says, pulling back and finally standing on her own. Will gives her a curious look but she turns to Optimus, chest filling up with so much excitement that she can hardly get the words out. "It's over."

Optimus kneels down in front of her, brow furrowed. "What do you mean, it is over?"

She looks between all of the Autobots—all of the Cybertronians—grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. "It's over, guys. The war. All of the Decepticons are dead. Megatron and Unicron, too. They're all gone. You don't have to fight anymore. The war is over."

Optimus blinks, staring at his brethren in stunned awe. "We…We won?"

"Yes." Ari sniffles, wiping away at her wet cheeks that drip down through her smile. "You won. You've won your peace."

Sunstreaker lets out the first whoop of joy, echoing across the field like fireworks. The others soon join him, everyone clapping and cheering until their voices go raw. And then they keep going still, fueled by the force of their happiness. Their relief.

Finally, they can lay down their weapons.

Lina sidles up to her during the celebration, punching Ari lightly in the shoulder. "You know," Lina says, glaring at Ari out of the corner of her eye as she watches Ironhide and Chromia break into a dance around the field, "I'm a little bit mad at you."

"What, about the whole almost dying thing?" Ari asks, leaning back against Sideswipe's leg. Bumblebee's radio scans through stations like he used to do when he couldn't talk, finding a rambunctious song to blast at full volume.

"No, the whole sparkmate bond thing." Lina crosses her arms in front of her chest, Sunstreaker kneeling down behind her. "Seriously, a little heads up or something before you went ahead and bonded us would have been nice."

Ari's eyes widen in alarm. "Woah, wait a minute here, I didn't bond you guys. I just opened up the possibility for you to bond, like the AllSpark did for me and Sideswipe. Your heart and Sunny's spark just needed a little nudge. But I didn't actually force you to bond or anything. That was your doing."

Lina and Sunstreaker share a hesitant look. "We…did that ourselves? But it just kind of happened. And we didn't have a chance to discuss anything. There's still the whole lifespan issue to deal with and all and—"

"No, no, no, Lina," Ari soothes, taking her friends hands. "I wouldn't do that to you. Close your eyes and look inside yourself."

Lina raises a skeptical brow and Ari raises one right back. She sighs, doing as she's told. "Okay, and what am I feeling for or whatever?"

"I left you a gift, Lina. You should be able to sense it." Ari squeezes her hands. "You're different now. Like me."

Lina's brow furrows before suddenly smoothing out, eyes flying open in surprise. "My…my lifespan matches his. I can feel it, in the bond."

Ari grins. "Exactly."

Sunstreaker's mouth hangs open, gobsmacked. "You…we…she's…."

"Yeah, Sunny," Lina says, voice tight as she fights tears. She reaches up, wrapping her arms around his neck and he holds her as tight as he dares. "We're gonna be okay Sunny. We're gonna be okay."

He tilts his head down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Lina pulls back with a gasp, panting as she grins up at him. "This whole bond thing is going to take some serious getting used to."

"That's a good thing, right?" he says, a look so soft and content on his face. Ari's never seen him like this before, especially not for a squishy human. But he's found his sparkmate. He's found his light. In the most unexpected of places.

But he has never looked more happy.

"Oh, definitely," Lina replies, settling into the crook of his neck. "But does this mean we're technically married now?"

He laughs, shaking his head in amusement. "Technically, yes. Bonding is the Cybertronian form of marriage."

"Then how about the human form, huh?" Lina looks up at him, eyes big and hopeful. "Want to do that?"

Sunstreaker rolls his optics but the smile never quite leaves his face. "Whatever you want, babe."

Lina claps happily, slipping down from his arms and calling out, "Natasha, we have some work to do!"

Natasha turns her head from where Clint twirls her around, gracefully sidestepping dancing Cybertronians. "I'm done working for the day. And tomorrow, I'm going on a very long vacation."

"But this is the fun kind of work!" Lina bounces up to her, pulling her away from Clint with a manic laugh. "Ari didn't want it but I want a big wedding. I want all the things, Nat, the flowers and the venue and all the things!"

"And a baby shower!" Ari announces suddenly as she remembers, pulling Natasha into a big hug. " _Sestra_ , you need a baby shower! How far along are you? When are you going to know for sure the gender?"

"I still can't believe she didn't say anything until we were in the middle of a firefight," Clint grouses, giving Natasha the side-eye. "And you said I was bad about proposing. That was worse than Budapest."

"You were the one about to walk into the firefight," she reminds him coolly, lips in a dangerous smirk. "I was originally going to wait until after all of this was over."

"And before it started wasn't an option?"

"I didn't suspect anything until we were in New Mexico helping Jane and Darcy. Then we got the call from Ari that slag was about to hit the fan again, so I didn't exactly have time to go see a doctor. But then we were on our way to England with all of the Autobots so I asked Ratchet to check for me. After that," she shrugs, looking away in a rare show of vulnerability, "there just wasn't a good time."

And then Clint was about to walk out into the line of fire and possibly not walk back again.

Clint takes her hands, weaving their fingers together. "It's okay, Tash. Everything turned out alright."

She gives him a small smile. More hesitant than Ari has ever seen her. "Everything's about to change."

"Yeah," Clint says, giving her a grin. "But it'll be great. You'll see."

"So, a baby shower for you and a wedding for me," Lina sighs happily, practically bouncing on her toes. "We should get Pepper involved. She would totally want to help."

Sunstreaker's face screws up like he tasted something sour. "Oh, Primus, this means I'm going to have to meet your parents, doesn't it."

"Don't your parents think you work in the NSA or something?" Clint asks, propping an arm on Natasha's shoulder. She allows it for all of two seconds before kicking him in the shin. He lets out a muttered curse.

Lina cringes a little. "Yeah, they do. It was kind of their dream for me and when I went and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. instead I just…didn't think they would handle it well, especially after the whole Hydra thing. So I lied. They don't even know that I know any of the Autobots."

"That…is going to be an awkward conversation." Ari squeezes Lina's shoulder in sympathy.

"Well, they've never really been approving of my life choices anyway," Lina sighs, pulling on a smile. She looks up at Sunstreaker and that smile widens, going genuine. "Never stopped me from doing what I want before. It's not going to stop me now. They don't like me marrying an alien, they can just suck it."

They'll have to, considering the bond and no-aging thing are kind of already a done deal. They're about to get the surprise of a lifetime. But Lina's right. She always follows her heart and she's not going to stop now. They want to stay in Lina's life, they'll have to learn to accept that. And if they can't?

Lina has another family who will be there to support her every step of the way. And Ari will always be there for her.

Ari wraps her arms around her friend, laying her head on Lina's shoulder and just feeling so, so grateful. The AllSpark gave them each other. The Autobots are great and all—they will always be like family to both of them—but this way, they both have a human to lean on during this long life of theirs.

They will always be sisters, through and through.

That does give Ari a thought, though.

"Hey, Lina," she says, pulling back and chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I think I'm still going to need you to get that flash drive."

Lina's brow furrows in confusion. "What? But…you're alright. You can go back to work just fine and all. Or are you hiding some kind of fatal wound from us or something?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Ari chuckles. "It's just…the war being over changes things."

"What do you mean, sweetspark?" Sideswipe asks, sitting down cross-legged on the ground beside them.

"Well, a big part of my job was because of the war. Being Autobot Ambassador was mainly being a buffer between humans and the Autobots. People wanted to blame Autobots for the things Decepticons did just because they're the same species or just because the Autobots happen to be on this planet. But Burton was right. Cybertronians have been coming to Earth for a reason that had nothing to do with Autobots."

"They came because of Primus," Lina says with a nod. "They'd be coming here no matter what."

"Uh-huh. But people wanted to place all the blame on the Autobots anyway, and a big part of my job was making sure that didn't happen. I made sure everyone knew who the bad guys truly were."

"But now there aren't any bad guys anymore," Sideswipe says, starting to see where she's going. "No more Decepticons, no more reasons for people to blame Autobots for death and destruction."

"Exactly. The war is over. The Autobots can live in peace now, put down your weapons and live quiet, happy lives. You can live with humans in harmony. Meaning," she clasps her hands together, staring down on them as if they've suddenly changed, "a full-time ambassador won't be needed anymore. _I_ won't be needed anymore."

A big part of her duty is…done.

"B-But what about S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D.!" Lina sputters. "They still need you!"

Ari shakes her head. "No, they really don't. My dad and Phil have a handle on things. The Avengers have become a strong unit, and most of the Autobots probably won't want to fight anymore. I'll have to give the Council a serious talking to when we get back," she adds in frustration, feeling her anger coil up inside herself at their stupidity, "but…I think I feel comfortable in letting the organizations go and be independent."

"So, what, you're just going to abandon us?" Clint asks, not with any fire, but maybe a little hurt.

"No," Ari soothes, shaking her head. "I'll always be on call if you ever need me. If there's ever another alien invasion or a megalomaniac or some other world-ending event. It's not like I'll never be around anymore. I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on everything and visit everyone as often as I can. But…."

She turns to Sideswipe with a soft smile, seeing the hope and happiness burning in his optics and down the bond and she knows this is right. "I think I want to experience a little bit of that living you were talking about, Sides. I want to spend more time with my mom and dad and sister. I want to see the world for enjoyment and not just to save it or blow up some other famous monument. I want to do the things I never thought I'd be able to do while growing up with Ron."

She has so much time ahead of her. It's about time she just enjoyed a little of it.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, sweetspark," Sideswipe says with a wide grin, picking her up and swinging her around in a hug. She laughs, feeding off of the happiness and love pumping down both sides of the bond.

Yeah, they deserve this.

"So, Lina," Ari continues, perching herself on Sideswipe's shoulder. "Everything you'll need to set the organizations up without me will be on that flash drive. I originally made it as a contingency in case anything ever happened to me, but it'll work for this, too. And the next time I visit," her grin widens mischievously, "I'll teach you some of the things I do for the organizations, and the Autobots. Show you the ropes."

Lina's eyes widen in alarm. "You want me to take over?"

"Maybe not take over but," Ari leans her head back, staring up at the darkening sky, "we're both in this for the long haul now, Lina. It's up to us to keep another Hydra from happening, and to make sure no one sets their eyes on the Autobots again. It's up to us to keep things going, because we're the only humans who will be here for generations to come."

Lina swallows heavily, no small amount of worry written all over her face. Sunstreaker places his hand at her back and her spine straightens, giving a nod of determination.

She cares about everyone just as much as Ari does. Together, they'll be strong enough to stand against the piranhas of the world.

"So, where do you want to start for this extended vacation?" Sideswipe asks, excitement bubbling over the bond.

"Home, definitely," she answers right away. "Spend time with my family. I miss the farmhouse dearly. But before we do that, there's just one more thing I'd like to do."

"And what's that?"

"I'll tell you on the way. We need to get everyone packed up in the Cybertronian ship." She turns her head this way and that, searching the crowd of people. "And where's Cogman? I need to talk to Burton."

* * *

Ari walks across the field that sprawls around Burton's castle, enjoying the atmosphere of this place. The castle sits on a little cliff overlooking a river, luscious trees surrounding the area making them feel closed off from the world. The sun rises over the hills, blanketing them in gold. A peaceful morning. A peaceful place to start anew.

"This is perfect, Ari," Sideswipe says softly, keeping pace beside her. "I think everyone's going to love it here."

"And you're sure it's alright?" Ari asks, turning to Burton beside her.

He leans on a cane, pipe perched in his lips and a smile glinting in his eyes as he stares out at his land. Cybertronians walk all around, exploring the castle and the surrounding landscape. They used to work in S.W.O.R.D., some of them even in N.E.S.T. before that, but now they don't have to anymore. After Unicron fell yesterday, just a handful of hours ago, Ari talked to Burton and gave the Cybertronians a choice.

A chance to lay down their blasters and make a new life here.

"This is more than alright, my dear," Burton replies, happily watching his new housemates as they explore their new home. "This is more than I ever hoped to achieved in my lifetime. They can build homes for themselves in the valleys and stay as long as they like. And I'm especially glad this is no longer a retirement home. It's good to see some young whippersnappers running around."

"So long as they don't break anything," Cogman mutters, narrowing his optics at Skids and Mudflap horsing around dangerously close to the castle wall.

"Oh, don't worry so much, you grouchy leprechaun," Sideswipe says with a chuckle. "Ironhide and Chromia will be here to watch over anyone. They won't be able to get into too much trouble."

"You'll get even more, soon," Ari adds, stopping in front of Optimus and Elita when they reach them. "Younger, too."

Optimus looks down at her curiously. "What do you mean, Ari?"

"Well, you know everything the AllSpark did," she says with a mysterious smile. "The AllSpark holds knowledge, pretty much of the entire universe. The AllSpark can heal. It creates energon, the food of your people. Its host is given the gift of time. The AllSpark can kindle and create bonds between sparkmates. And it has control over life."

Ari steps closer, motioning both Optimus and Elita to kneel down in front of her. "I was told not to use the life mark like this until the war was over, but now that it is…I can create new sparklings." Optimus and Elita take in echoing gasps, glancing at each other with hesitant hope. "As soon as we get back to the States, I'm going to talk to Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Tony about making new nurseries. When they're done, I'll bring new sparks into the world. And I'd like to give the first of the new sparklings to the both of you."

Elita takes Optimus's hand, squeezing tightly. "You mean it?"

"Of course. I know how much you two have wanted to be parents."

Optimus frowns, brow furrowed in uncertainty. "I do not know, Ari. We have been fighting for so long. I am not sure I know how to be a good father."

"You did a good job with Bumblebee," she reminds him. Optimus took Bumblebee under his wing when Bee's parents died in the war, raising him from basically a teenager.

"Yes, and he is a soldier. We are all soldiers. I am not sure I remember how to live a normal life."

"You're not all about fighting and war and being a solider," Ari says, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck as far as she's able to reach. "Will's been a great dad, but I like to think you've helped raise me a lot, too."

Optimus has always felt like another father to her. That's how she knows he'll be a great father to his own sparkling, as well.

Optimus places a hand on her back, holding her in return with closed optics. "You have felt like one of my own, as well. If you feel we are ready, then we would be honored to be the first to parent the sparklings you bring into the world."

"Then we better head back," Ari says, leading the way back towards the castle. "Lots to do to start this new chapter."

They find Wheeljack in the castle's courtyard, working on the antenna that's going to send the new message into space, leading any remaining Cybertronians here. Burton agreed to monitor it with Ironhide, being the point of contact to any newcomers coming to Earth.

Wheeljack attaches one last thing and then stands back, nodding at Optimus to go ahead.

Optimus takes in a deep breath, weighing his words, before he speaks, "At the heart of every legend, there is truth. A few brave souls united to save this world. We can all be heroes in our own lives, every one of us, if we only have the courage to try. There is a secret buried inside the earth. There is more to this planet than meets the eye. Our creator, Primus, sacrificed himself to create this world. And the humans helped us save him. Our fates were always intertwined, and now our worlds are joined as one. I am Optimus Prime, calling all Autobots—all Cybertronians. The war is over. And it is time to come home."

Wheeljack presses a few buttons on the antenna and the message gets sent, on a continuous loop going out into space. There's no encryption besides being played only on Cybertronian frequencies. They don't have to worry about Decepticons anymore. All who come now will only be displaced people, looking for their place to settle at last.

Sideswipe picks Ari up, cradling her on his forearm as they all look up at the sky in hope, for all those still out there. "You ready, sweetspark?"

"Yeah," she says, leaning back against his chassis. "Let's go home."

"You mean back to the Triskelion to get that nursery going," he says slyly.

She ducks her head. "Well. Maybe."

"What happened to going out and living life, huh?"

"Oh, you know me. Normal life is boring. Gotta spice things up a bit."

"I think I've had enough spice the past few days, thank you very much."

"Me, too. But there are still a…few more things I'd like to do."

He chuckles, not disappointed, but not really surprised, either. "A few?"

"That doesn't mean we can't take long, frequent breaks, of course. Starting with home. Definitely home."

"Then let's go home. And then find some mischief."

Ari smiles, curling contentedly in her sparkmate's arms. "Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Nothing to be worried about! Ari's fine! I even saved Burton. I always thought he died a bit unnecessarily because, seriously, he didn't need to go. Ari and co had this.
> 
> But Unicron's gone. The war is over. The Autobots are free to live peacefully, and so is Ari.
> 
> Time for her to get a little bit of that peaceful life she's never gotten the chance to know.
> 
> Alright, guys, all that's left is the epilogue, which will be up in a few minutes.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time!


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this ending in my mind for a long, long time. Even had some of it written already, the scene with the conversation with Odin. I think I first wrote it around the time Anti-Alien showed up in Move Along. Yeah, this has been years in the making. This entire series has been. And it's definitely taken me places I never thought I'd go. But now we've come to the end, my friends.
> 
> This is the final chapter in Ari's story.
> 
> Go onward, one last time.

_Two Years Later_

Ari tugs on the strap of her outfit for the fifth time, trying not to growl in frustration. She can't believe she let Loki and Thor talk her into this thing. It's some sort of cross between a toga and a dress, Asgardian formal wear fit for a princess according to them. And, really, it's a very nice dress. It's a beautiful shade of blue, dark like midnight with shades of light blue and purple that shimmer in the fabric every time she moves. It's comfortable, lightweight, and some kind of silk that's extremely soft.

It's also incredibly revealing in the front. She keeps pulling at the straps, trying to pull the dress up a bit, but nothing really helps.

"Stop fiddling," Sideswipe's holoform whispers in her ear, his arms coming around her from behind to wrap around her waist. "You look fine."

"Yeah, you would say that," she mumbles to him, feeling how very much he appreciates this dress over the bond. "You're sure I can't just wear a t-shirt and shorts?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who said you had to wear this," he says, tracing a finger lightly along her bare arm and making her shiver.

She slaps at his hand playfully, stepping away so she can turn around and get out of his reach. "Stop that. I can hear your thoughts right now. None of that."

He chuckles, deeper than usual. "But you look so beautiful. I can't help myself."

She rolls her eyes. "Uh huh. Think Thor and Loki would notice if I change?"

"Most definitely. I'm sorry, sweetspark, but you can't go in bummy clothes."

Her bottom lip pouts out, only hamming it up a little bit. She really, really wants to go change. "But why not?"

"Because this is just as much of an ambassador trip as it is for fun. And ambassadors don't go meet alien royalty in shorts."

Ari sighs deeply, tugging at her dress again. "I still can't believe the Council is making me turn this into an ambassador thing. Loki and Thor just want all of us to go meet his parents. Plus, we're testing Jane's new portal. This is just as much for science as anything else. And Jane wears jeans doing science all the time."

"Yes, but she's wearing one of these fancy Asgardian dresses for this trip as well."

"That's because she's dating Thor and they're his parents." She runs her fingers through her hair, turning her head this way and that in the bathroom mirror trying to get all the strands to lay how she wants them. "She just wants to make a good first impression."

"Admit it, sweetspark." He sidles up behind her, meeting her eye in the mirror and tugging on one of her locks. "You want to make a good first impression, too."

"To their mother, yes," she admits, watching in fascination as his fingers deftly finagle her hair into an intricate braid in seconds. "Odin, on the other hand, not so much."

She does not like Odin. Not at all. And she's not afraid to say so, even to his face.

"I know, I know." He plucks a hair tie off the counter, tying off her braid. "But earning a little bit of grace before causing an intergalactic incident wouldn't hurt, don't you agree?"

She sighs dramatically, but nods. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Someone knocks on the door to their suite, Tony's voice filtering in, "You guys ready to go or what?"

"Coming!" she calls back, tugging on the dress one last time. "Alright, let's go shock the intergalactic neighbors."

Sideswipe presses a kiss to her cheek. "See you outside."

His holoform blinks out and Ari exits the suite, walking through the hallways on sandaled feet towards the back of the building to get to the living room. The sliding glass doors were left open for her and she steps outside. Jane and Darcy are just finishing calibrating their machines set up on the lawn while wearing dresses matching Ari's in shades of red and gold.

They decided to do this in the new Avengers facility Tony had built in upstate New York, a collection of buildings settled in the middle of a thick wood, well away from any populated areas.

So, if Jane blows something up, no one else will get hurt. Though, they shouldn't blow up.

Hopefully.

"Tony, you are sure this is going to work, right?" Pepper asks worriedly, watching from the sidelines with her hands folded over her very pregnant belly. "If something goes wrong and you're not back in time to see the birth of your child, I will find a way to travel across the universe myself so I can strangle you."

Only a pregnant Pepper can say something like that with such a straight face.

"I promise, Mrs. Stark," Tony says playfully, using a finger to trace an "X" over his heart. "Cross my heart and everything. This will work and I'll be back by dinner."

"We better be," Natasha adds her own warning, bouncing her own daughter on her hip. Natasha was, of course, correct in the gender of her child, giving birth to a little girl with wild red curls. Natasha hated being put out of the Avengers game for several months, but she's done a glorious job getting back in fighting shape. If Ari wasn't there at the hospital herself, she could never tell by looking at her that Natasha ever gave birth. "That mission we went on yesterday ran a lot longer than you promised. I'm not missing Abigail's bedtime again. You know she likes a story before going to sleep."

"Yeah, she gets really fussy otherwise," Clint says, plucking his daughter from his wife's arms and giving the little girl Eskimo kisses, making her squeal in delight. He passes her to Pepper's waiting arms with the reminder, "If we're not back in time, her favorite book is tucked in the side pocket of her baby bag. Just in case."

"Don't worry, Clint, I'll look after her," Pepper promises, pressing a kiss in the middle of the girl's red curls. "I'm enjoying the practice for my own munchkin."

"Behave yourself, little one," Ari tells her godchild, stroking her cheek with the back of her finger. "If you do, I may just bring you back a present."

"You spoil her too much," Natasha huffs, but she's fighting off a smile.

"But it's a godmother's job to spoil her godchild! Right, Sideswipe?"

She arches a brow at his bipedal form standing in the center of Jane's machines. He quickly nods his head along obediently. "O-Oh, yes. Yes, godparents must spoil their godchild rotten. It's a rule. A really, really important rule. I'm sorry, Nat, but we must do it."

"God uncles and aunts must do it as well," Pepper adds sagely, rocking a sleepy Abby in her arms. "Which is why Phil will be heading over to help me out. He said he just had to finish a bit more work."

"See, Nat?" Clint chuckles, steering Natasha towards the circle of machines. "They'll be fine and our child will be spoiled and we'll never have to buy her toys because everyone's going to get them for us."

"Alright, people," Darcy says, straightening her glasses a little nervously. "We're ready to rumble. Everyone who's going, get in the circle."

"We're sure this is gonna work, right?" Steve asks nervously, wearing his Captain America suit. Thor encouraged all of the Avengers to go all geared up, showing themselves off as warriors and his shield brothers and sisters.

Ari wishes _she_ could go in her tactical gear, but no. She's in a dress. At least she still has her blades braceleted around her wrists. Not that she's expecting trouble, but still.

Just two Asgardians—Loki included—are a handful enough. They're about to go to a planet-full.

"It'll work," Jane says firmly. Darcy opens her mouth but Jane shoots her a _look_ that makes her snap her mouth shut. "It _will_. Thor already tested it and he made it to Asgard and back just fine."

Bruce's eyes widen a little, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Wait a minute, you've only tested the portal _once_?"

Darcy bites her lip as she cringes, twisting her engagement ring around on her finger. Bucky takes her hand to make her stop fidgeting. "Maybe?"

"Perhaps we should just take the Bifrost," Loki suggests, edging backwards towards the edge of the circle.

"Nonsense!" Jane presses a few things on her tablet, the machines around them whirring to life. "Ready for launch!"

Ari presses into the side of Sideswipe's leg, wind gusting up in circles around them. She believes in Jane's work. Really, she does.

But her stomach still feels a little queasy.

The wind kicks up even harder, creating a whirlwind around them. They press closer together in the center of the circle as lightning crackles between the rods of Jane's device. Ari's about to ask if that's normal but then a bright light flashes blindingly bright, forcing Ari to close her eyes, and a strong force pulls her up. She clings to Sideswipe, pressing her face into his leg and waiting tensely for the feeling to stop. Like she's on a high-speed elevator going all the way to the moon. Her stomach drops, chest squeezing as she waits to combust or fall into space or something.

But then she feels solid ground beneath her feet. A flat, smooth surface, not the grassy earth she was just standing on. And the wind is gone and everything suddenly feels so calm.

She cracks her eyes open.

And sees stars. So many stars and galaxies spread out across a night sky that isn't just black. It's black and dark blue and a deep purple swirling together and sprinkled with whites and yellows and reds and oranges twinkling like Christmas lights. This sky is clearer than Nevada or New Mexico. It's clearer than any sky she's ever seen, filled with more stars than she ever knew existed. And constellations she's never seen.

A different sky. A new sky. An alien sky.

"Welcome, defenders of Earth," a deep, baritone voice says behind them. Ari turns away from the starry display to a man standing on a pedestal in the middle of a domed room. He's tall, almost as big as Thor, with dark skin and eyes as golden as the armor he wears. His face remains stoic as he straightens his spine, bending at the waist into a deep bow. "My princes, it is good to have you home once again."

"It is good to be home, my friend," Thor replies, clapping the man on the shoulder when he steps down from the pedestal. "Everyone, this is Heimdell, gatekeeper of Asgard. His eyes have the ability to see across entire galaxies, warning us of troubles in the Nine Realms and operates the Bifrost for us."

Jane's eyes light up. "Oh, the Bifrost! I would love to take a look at it and pick your brain a bit if you have time. How does it work? Similar to my machine? Where do you keep it?"

Heimdell gives a deep chuckle. "Lady Jane, you are _in_ the Bifrost."

They all look around the room with new eyes. They stand in some kind of observatory, with a domed ceiling, a large, circular opening looking out at the stars, and then another opening leading out to a bridge that seems to be made out of some sort of rainbow, prismatic glass.

A rainbow bridge through space.

Jane's eyes widen as she mumbles, "Well, it's definitely a lot bigger than mine."

"And I will explain it to you at a later time, if it pleases you and Prince Thor?" He looks to Thor questioningly, looking for permission.

"That would be wonderful, my friend," Thor says with a nod.

Darcy sighs deeply. "I was hoping for a vacation from sciencing. And if she goes, Bruce and Tony are going to want to go, too."

Jane shakes Darcy's arm excitedly. "But Darcy! I can't just pass this up. There so much I could learn!'

"There is something I would like to learn as well," Heimdell interrupts before Jane can go into a full-blown ramble. He turns his golden, piercing eyes to Ari. "I can see many things, Lady Ari, just as Prince Thor says. But I often seem incapable of seeing you."

Ari blinks in surprise. "What?"

"There have been several instances where my vision has become fogged when I turn my eyes on you," Heimdell explains, tilting his head in curiosity. "For instance, when Unicron tried to destroy your world. I saw the outcome but I could not see what you did to ultimately defeat him."

"Oh…," Ari mutters. Sideswipe kneels on the ground, bowing his body around her like a shield. She reaches a hand up, stroking the side of his face comfortingly above her head.

The others tense around her, waiting to see how she wants to respond, waiting to see how much Heimdell might push.

She never really thought about it before. She knew about Heimdell's eyes. That they can see far and wide. But she never really thought about what they might see when looking at her. Or not see.

She touches a finger to the Autobot pendant hanging around her neck. She never takes it off. Not for anything, because it protects her and keeps her safe. Shielding her AllSpark signature so others can't sense the power flowing through her, more powerful than a nuclear reactor.

Would the pendant really keep her from being seen by Heimdell completely? She wouldn't think so, and not so sporadically. That means it's the AllSpark itself, keeping her secret safe from others even when she doesn't know it.

It's nice to know for certain that she still has this card up her sleeve. She may need it against these Asgardians. Especially Odin.

"Well, Lady Ari?" Heimdell prompts, one brow arching slightly. "Do you care to explain yourself?"

"No," she answers coolly, stroking Sideswipe's face again, He's all coiled around her, both physically and across the bond, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. She sends him her calm, trying to ease the panic threatening to rise up. She doesn't think action will be needed, not this time.

Not yet.

Heimdell frowns, golden eyes flitting to Loki and Thor. "The AllFather will not be pleased."

Ari's spine straightens. "Well, the AllFather doesn't always get what he wants and needs to deal with it."

"Ari…," Steve says with a warning tone, staring at Heimdell and his huge sword nervously.

Ari crosses her arms across her chest. "No, this is my secret to tell. _I_ decide who learns it and when. Odin isn't the boss of me."

"It's alright, Heimdell," Loki says placatingly. "Thor and I both know her secret, and it's imperative to her safely that it remains a secret from everyone."

"Trust us, my friend," Thor adds in, squeezing Heimdell's shoulder once more. "It's better this way."

Heimdell breathes out sharply through his nose but nods. "Very well. If that is what my princes want. The king and queen wait for your arrival. It would be best that you proceed directly to the throne room."

Everyone finally unclenches, Thor and Loki taking the lead towards the rainbow bridge. Sideswipe stands, keeping himself between her and Heimdell as they walk towards the city.

A bullet dodged. Barely. Just how much is Odin going to be willing to push? He always pushes, pushes, pushes, everything and everyone, until he gets what he wants. It's no different than with Earth's leaders. They think they can push Ari and the Autobots into complying, but Ari proved to them that won't fly with her.

Odin's pushing has hurt people, people Ari cares about. He keeps pushing Loki to move back to Asgard, even though Loki now considers Earth his home. He also still refuses to allow Thor and Jane to marry. Perhaps it's time to show Odin that he can't keep pushing people around anymore just because he's the king of Asgard.

Especially Ari.

They walk down the main road through a marketplace, Asgardians lining the street once they spot their princes. They cheer like this is some kind of parade, throwing flowers in the street that Ari and the others step over as they make their way through town. Thor waves to the people, hamming it up, but Loki just keeps walking without looking at any of them.

"Is it like this every time you come home?" Bucky murmurs to him, looking around at all the people like a spooked deer. He clutches Darcy's hand tightly, keeping his fiancee close to his side.

"Unfortunately," Loki mutters dryly. "Asgardians go a little overboard about…well, everything."

Loki has always said Asgardians are more than a little ostentatious, Thor always rather reluctantly agreeing, but Ari's starting to truly understand what they meant.

They walk up some stone steps towards the palace, and it's stunning, golden and shining like the sun. All of Asgard is like a sea of gold and diamonds, just as beautiful as the stars sparkling above them.

The whole place is rather big and flashy. Don't get her wrong, it's impressive, but Ari gets the feeling that they spent a lot of unnecessary money to make gold-everything for no good reason. Like they're trying very hard to be impressive to the rest of the universe.

Guards open a set of enormous doors so big Sideswipe doesn't even have to duck his head, ushering them inside. They step into the throne room and, yep, more gold everywhere. Someone is definitely making up for something. With the gold, with the people gathered all around at the fringes of the huge open space, with the ornate columns, and with the solid gold throne at the front of the room lifted up on a pedestal.

And in that throne sits a man, long white hair spilling down to his shoulders. He wears ornate armor, almost as ostentatious as his palace, made moreso by the golden eyepatch covering his right eye. A frown hangs in the middle of his white beard as he watches them approach, face stoic and undecipherable.

Odin appears powerful. Imposing. Intimidating.

And very full of himself.

Thor and Loki step ahead of the group, kneeling down on one knee in front of Odin. The others look at each other in hesitation before stiffly doing the same.

Everyone except Ari and Sideswipe.

" _You sure about this, sweetspark?"_ Sideswipe asks, not really anxious about it. More like amused, the prankster in him perking up in anticipation.

Odin's one eye twitches as they remain standing, scandalous murmuring rippling through the audience around them.

" _Oh, definitely."_

"So you are the human my sons have been flitting around recently," Odin says, voice somehow quiet and booming at the same time. Carrying effortlessly across the room. "Arianna."

"Odin Allfather," Ari bows her head respectfully but no more. She steps forward, the others rising nervously as she stands in front of them, Sideswipe looming at her side. If Odin's surprised or worried at seeing Sideswipe—his first Cybertronian—he certainly doesn't show it. Guess he's heard enough stories from his sons. "It is an honor to meet you, though I would prefer you call me Ari."

"And I would prefer you properly kneel."

"A person kneels before their king, as a sign of respect and fealty." She lifts her chin, straightening her spine. "I have sworn no fealty to you."

His hands clench slightly on the armrests of his throne. "I am the king of Asgard."

"But you are not my king and I am no Asgardian."

"No, you are not." He eyes her up and down, mouth pulling up in a sneer. "You are a mere human mortal."

Ari gives a secretive smile, one she learned from Natasha. "In that, Allfather, you are wrong."

She pauses, letting him stew for a moment. He stares her down, like he can force her secrets out of her by his will alone. But his will has nothing on her.

She just lets him keep stewing, arching a brow at him.

His eyes narrow suspiciously. "And how, pray tell, am I wrong?"

Ari tries so hard not to smirk but it's so hard, especially when she can feel Sideswipe's laughter over the bond. "For one, humans are not 'mere' anything. It's been proven time and time again, especially in recent years. We've saved the universe countless times."

No thanks to him and the rest of Asgard. Thor and Loki are great and all, but some more Asgardian backup would have been nice for some of those end-of-the-world moments. Apparently, Thor and Loki have asked Odin for help in Earthly affairs before but he always says no.

"Your kind have certainly surpassed expectations," Odin admits, "but you are still weak, young, and foolish."

"Being mortal does not make humans weak." She cocks her head at him, wondering how someone so old can be so naive himself. "And I believe you forget the true definition of mortality. Asgardians are not immortal. Your kind are just as capable of dying. You simply have longer lifespans."

"And our longevity has allowed us to learn a great many things, things humans are still as ignorant as babes."

Ari rolls her eyes. So this is where Loki learned the better-than-thou attitude. No wonder he doesn't like his adoptive father all that much. "Yes, Asgardians were given birth to before humans, and that head start has allowed you to make many advancements, especially when it comes to magic and technology. That still does not make you any wiser."

"Asgard protects the Nine Realms from chaos and destruction. We are its keepers, protecting you from threats unknown, while humans are busy destroying themselves. We are the only ones wise enough to keep the balance."

"And yet it was your own foolishness that almost cost the existence of not one world but two."

Odin rises from his throne in an outrage, "How dare you—!"

"No, Odin," she snaps, her voice echoing around the room. Everyone falls silent at her audacity to interrupt the AllFather, but she could hardly care less. This guy is seriously overdue a stern talking to. "You cannot deny this. Your mishandling of Loki, from the moment you plucked him off of Jotunheim, is the sole reason Loki almost destroyed Jotunheim and then almost subjugated the Earth. You taught him to hate what he is, taught him that Frost Giants are monsters, and then neglected to tell him what he truly is. He found out, on his own, that he was the very thing he and all other Asgardians are taught to hate and fear." She shakes her head, truly unable to understand his logic. "What did you think would come of that?"

He has nothing to say to that, eyes flickering to the one he claims as son and back again. So fleeting, she almost misses the guilt. But only almost.

"You see, Odin? You are no better than the humans you see yourself better as. We all make mistakes."

"Maybe it was a mistake," he says softly before shaking his head, sinking back down into his seat. "But what does that prove? What do you hope to say with all of this?"

"I want to prove to you that humans are just as mighty as Asgardians. You have no right to look down on them. I want you to allow Loki to continue living among them as he wishes and for Thor to marry Jane Foster."

"Loki has proven himself worthy to call himself Odinson once more." He waves his hand dismissively, though she can still sense the disappointment in him. Loki will never quite act the way Odin wants him to. "He is, again, a Prince of Asgard, and no longer a prisoner. He may do as he wishes. But Thor will not marry Jane Foster. She is not fitting for a prince of Asgard, nor to be at Thor's side as queen when the day comes he is crowned."

Jane shifts closer to Thor's side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. She tries hard to mask the disappointment and pain, but she is no master spy.

Ari shakes her head in frustration, hating to see her friend hurting. "Why keep them apart? I know it's not because of the human lifespan. You have ways around that. Allow her to eat of the apple."

His eyes flash in surprise that she would know of the apple before he schools his features again. "No, I will not. A human is not worthy of Thor's hand."

She barely suppresses an eye roll. That would probably not be a good thing to do to the King of Asgard. Though, she imagines Loki's done it plenty of times and he's still alive, so it's worth considering later. "Again with this 'worthy' business. Who are you to decide who is and isn't worthy?"

"I am king—"

Ari scoffs impatiently, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Yes, so I heard. But humans are far more capable than you think. They have the ability to accomplish so much, especially Jane. With Jane by his side, Thor could lead Asgard and the Nine Realms into a golden age."

"No human is worthy of such a position on Asgard. You are not even worthy as an ambassador. I am simply humoring my sons with this meeting."

Her secretive smile returns, putting Odin on edge. "Oh, Odin, I am so much more than you know."

"Then, please," he waves a hand at her, "prove yourself."

Ari smirks. "I was hoping you'd ask."

She reaches beneath her collar for the Autobot pendant. For the first time in her life, she willingly slips it off over her head. Loki steps forward, an eagerness for mischief sparkling in his eyes as she places the pendant in his palm. As soon as the metal no longer touches her skin the room takes in a collective gasp. The pendant no longer masks the power of the AllSpark. All Asgardians are sensitive to the ways of magic, she knows, and a power such as this can be felt even by an untrained child. It permeates the room, beating pulses that are ancient, maybe even timeless. And far more powerful than even Odin himself.

"What _are_ you?" Odin asks in a breathless awe, his one eye staring wide in confusion, caution, and maybe even fear.

"I am human," she tells him, not like she needs to soothe his worries. Really, she rubs it in his face. "But the power that rests inside of me is something far older than this planet. Or any planet for that matter. It is the power that was used to create the universe and I was chosen as worthy to become its vessel."

His scowls wipes any awe clean off his face. "Impossible."

"No, not impossible. You need to open your mind, AllFather. You and your people are not the first to believe themselves to be the center of the universe, but you are no less wrong. This power, the AllSpark, is where we all began, and I, a 'mere human', am its wielder. And if I am worthy of the AllSpark, then Jane is just as capable of being worthy of Thor."

She can tell that Thor and Jane are meant to be together, that their meeting was never any coincidence. Because Earth—Midgard—is more important than anyone ever could have imagined, except for Primus. That's why he decided to become their home. He knew how important humans would become to the universe.

That's why, even now, when Ari could probably do something to release him from the center of the Earth while keeping the Earth's magnetic field intact, he still chooses to remain. Because they are important to him. They're important to everyone.

Thor and Jane can form a bridge between their two species—humans and Asgardians—that can help not only Earth and Asgard, but the entire universe.

"So much has been hidden away from us," Odin murmurs thoughtfully, for once actually looking like the old man he appears to be. "The scrolls in our library hint at some of what you've spoken of—this AllSpark, as you call it—but never did I imagine that the stories were true. That one little planet could mean so much."

"There's more to us than meets the eyes," Ari agrees, smiling at the phrase Optimus likes to use so much. "And now, Cybertronians have joined us on our home. We work together to keep the world safe, and if the universe ever needs us, we'll be ready for them as well. So please, Odin, don't try standing above us anymore. Stand with us. As our allies and friends. If you don't take this step, you _will_ regret it far more than you know. It could jeopardize your planet. And you will lose your sons, who are already striving to pave the way to change, a change you are so stubbornly hesitant to accept." Her smile softens, giving one final push to break through to him. "Please, accept our friendship as well. We _are_ worthy of it, and it has the potential to bring everyone so much happiness, including yourself."

Odin sits and just stares at her for several, long minutes. He's a difficult guy to get a read on. Will he listen? Has she changed his views on humans? Will he respect her—not just as the AllSpark, but as herself? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. At least, not to Ari. All she cares about is Thor and Loki and their happiness.

Which she's determined to give them, despite all the slag Odin's thrown at them over their many long years.

Finally, Odin takes in a deep breath, focusing more on his sons. "I've made many mistakes over the years," he starts solemnly. "I can admit that I've done to Loki. To Thor. It has pushed my sons away to where they might call another planet home."

He tears his eyes back to her, rising from his throne. "But you are right, Ari Lennox. AllSpark. There is more to your planet than meets the eye. And perhaps it is time to put the past behind us. To take a new step going forward with hands clasped in friendship. For it appears it is as you said. I know very little after all." He descends the stairs leading up to his throne, putting himself on the same level as her. "But I wish to learn and grow with you, in the hopes that we bring the universe into a brighter future."

He then turns to Thor and Jane, their hands clasped tightly together. Odin frowns at the sight of it, almost like he can't help himself. His worldview on humans won't change overnight, though. But he's showing that he's willing to try, which is more than Ari was hoping form. "My son. Lady Jane. I can see now that you are the first step we must take if we are ever to succeed." He takes in another deep breath before releasing it slowly, some of his frustration getting replaced with acceptance. "You both have my blessing."

Ari smiles as Odin and Thor embrace, Odin even giving Jane a little hand-clasp as well. Not leaps and bounds, but it'll do. Odin has had his eyes opened today. What he does with it, well, they'll just have to wait and see.

This is definitely a good start, though. And it makes something settle inside of her.

Celebration soars through the palace as Thor calls for festivities, wrapping up Jane is is arms and twirling her around. Her delighted laughter rings out, infectious as it echoes around the room. Everyone surges into motion. Tables emerge, soon blanketed in food. Music bursts through the air as instruments get pulled out. The crowd then surges to the edges again to make space in the center of the room for couples to come together in dance.

Sideswipe transforms into his alt mode, some Asgardians giving his car curious glances, and he brings out his holoform. He quickly takes her hand and she squeals as she's pulled into the throng, not knowing the local dance moves and neither of them caring.

Her friends and family gather around them, even Bruce to her delight, basking in the overwhelming happiness beating in time to the music.

They dance. They eat strange new foods, they meet Thor's and Loki's friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three as Darcy calls them. They finally meet their mother, Frigga, Clint immediately asking for embarrassing stories on her sons. She arches an amused eyebrow, Steve tensed for some kind of backlash from the Queen of Asgard, but instead Frigga laughs, happily obliging.

Oh, yeah, Frigga is definitely the better parent. Though, perhaps, with enough time, Ari can get the stick up Odin's aft all the way out.

They spend hours there, Ari isn't sure how many, but tiredness starts to wear on the humans in their party and they realize it must be late, Earth time. Goodbyes get exchanged, promises to return given, and Frigga pulls Ari in for a long hug to whisper "thank you" in her ear.

Ari fights off a grin as she pulls back, meeting Loki's eye over Frigga's shoulder. "Oh, don't thank me yet," she says, promises of mischief practically dripping from her lips. Frigga recognizes it, too, how could she not after having Loki as a son? But instead of calling her on it or warning Ari against it, she laughs.

"You may very well be the best thing to ever happen to this family," Frigga chuckles, giving Ari's hands one last squeeze. "I look forward to seeing what more you will bring us, and to the universe."

Ari blushes, ducking her head. She never felt very important, before all this started. Frag, she never felt overly important _during_ all of the world-saving, because it's not like it was ever just her trying to be the hero. She just knew she had to help and did everything in her power _to_ help. To help the world, to help the Autobots, to help the people she loves. She wouldn't do any less or do anything any differently.

But her duty is done. The war is over. However, Frigga's right. Just because her duty is done, that doesn't mean she doesn't have more to give the world.

Speaking of which…they should probably get going.

But not before one more thing.

Everyone gathers in front of the throne, to say final farewells to Odin. Ari slips in next to Loki, both of them schooling their features to calm indifference.

Sideswipe's humor rolls across her over the bond, making it a bit difficult.

Thor says a few words, promising his father to return home for a visit soon. Odin gives a tight but understanding smile and then Thor turns with a final wave goodbye, heading for the exit to start the trek back to the Bifrost. The others fall in behind him, but Loki, Ari, and Sideswipe linger behind.

Sideswipe kneels, the compartment in his arm softly opening for easy access.

"Well, AllFather, it's been a pleasure," Ari says cordially, glancing at Loki out of the corner of her eye. He nods almost imperceptibly. Ari takes a few shuffling step back. "Please do stay out of trouble. Heimdell isn't the only one who can be all-seeing, you know."

She says it teasingly, but by the way Odin's head rears back fractionally, he understands that she does really mean it. He does something stupid again that hurts Loki or Thor or jeopardizes Earth, they will be having words.

And he knows now that she has the power to back up her words.

"It has been…an experience meeting you, Ari Lennox," he says grudgingly, not really an insult but not exactly a compliment. "Have a safe trip back home."

She finally lets the grin out, taking another step backwards. "You have a good evening as well. Take care."

"Goodbye, father," Loki adds with a casual wave of his hand, the three of them turning their backs on the AllFather.

As Loki's magic gets to work, taking the contents in Sideswipe's compartment out to put to use.

Ari can't help looking over her shoulder at the loud intake of breath from the crowd still gathered around them. Odin hasn't quite noticed yet, himself.

His entire throne, once gold, is now painted a bright, lime green. Dark green glitter dusts the surface as well, giving it an emerald sheen. And to top it all off, Odin's golden eye patch was also turned bright green.

With a large googly eye attached to it. Lina couldn't be here to see it—someone had to stay and keep an eye on things—but Ari promised.

Odin glances around at the shocked faces around him and then finally looks down, brow furrowing in confusion. At that point, Loki grabs her forearm, pulling her into a run.

"Loki!" Odin bellows and they let their laughter run free.

"Thanks for the invite, AllFather!" Sideswipe calls back, picking Ari and Loki up and skating them out of the throne room before something gets thrown at them.

Shock the neighbors, indeed.

* * *

It really is late by the time they land back at the Avengers facility. All of them crash right into beds, intent on sleeping through much of the next morning. Except for Ari and Sideswipe.

They have one more errand to run.

They get up at the crack of dawn, loading up on a quinjet to fly back to Nevada with Ari at the stick. Butterflies flutter in her stomach as she lifts them off the ground, excited to use the flying skills Clint taught her just a few months ago. The ride is smooth. Quiet. Allowing her to clear her head.

A lot has happened since the war ended. Friends married, having kids, finding happiness. Lina's training to be co-head of the organizations and more Cybertronians have come home to Earth.

Ari and Sideswipe have taken a lot of time for themselves. Going on vacations, seeing the world, just…enjoying life.

But in between all of that, there's something they've been working on. Something that should be ready by now.

She lands them in the field behind the farmhouse, Ari and Sideswipe arriving just in time for breakfast. It's Will's day off so he greets her at the door, enveloping her in a bear hug before handing her off to her mom. They load up on food, catch up with the family—Abigail starting eighth grade soon should not be a thing no matter how excited her little sister is—and then it's back in the quinjet again for a short ride to the nearby base.

They rebuilt the old N.E.S.T. facility out in the desert, no longer needing to be concerned with keeping the location secret. Scientists scuttle around in a flurry of activity, the excitement of the day bubbling in the air as potent as the heat.

Ari and Sideswipe instantly head for the hanger, her eyes roving over the five tanks set up in the middle of the room. Like cryotubes, but as big as SUVs and not used for keeping people frozen for years.

These are made for bringing life.

"How's the nursery doing?" Ari asks, climbing up the scaffolding to put her at shoulder level with Optimus. He and Elita watch over the nursery with excited smiles, hands clasped together tightly.

"Wheeljack says the first of the sparklings are at the right growth stage," Optimus answers, only a slight shaking of his voice giving away the emotion that must be clawing at his chassis. "All they need are sparks."

Blue electricity tingles along her left arm, concentrated around her life mark. She clutches her hand shut, the sparks dying down but the tingling continuing down her spine.

The AllSpark seems just as excited as the rest of them.

It's time.

She descends the scaffolding, approaching the first tank. They could have made more than five, but they wanted to be sure they got this right. It's been so long since a nursery was last built. Wheeljack and Ratchet weren't sure they even remembered _how_ to make one. But they got these five sparklings to maturity, all of them fully grown and healthy and waiting.

For sparks. For life.

And for parents.

Optimus and Elita stand behind her, the recipients of the first, she already promised them that. But then there's also Chromia and Ironhide, visiting from England to pick up a munchkin of their own. Jazz and Moonracer bonded just hours after the war was declared over, one of the many pairs of sparkmates that didn't bond before, despite finding each other, because of the dangers of offlining. Mirage and Arcee were the same. All four of them wish to be parents, so four sets of couples ready for sparklings.

They could have easily found another couple wishing to be parents, especially with all their new residents, but…Ari told them no more would be needed for this round.

She's not sure how, but…she knows someone's getting twins.

Ari places her hand on the tank, delving into her AllSpark doors. Looking for one she's never opened before. Her breath intakes in a sharp gasp, feeling all of the potential _life_ swirling around the other side of that door. They all have their time, a time when the world will need them and their unique talents, and Ari looks for the ones she needs now. Burning brighter than the rest.

She pulls one out gently, cradling the soft light in her hands like a baby chick. Another door opens, energy spilling out like a thread, tying this child to another spark not yet born. But she will be, soon.

This little mech, she pushes into the tank, filling the chasis of the protoform suspended in the liquid inside. A little Cybertronian, about the size of a ten-year-old.

Green optics blink online and Ari smiles.

Ratchet bustles over, quickly opening the tank and pulling the sparkling out. "It's a mech," he declares, tears dripping down his cheeks as he watches the baby in his arms get his first look at the world. Ratchet sniffles loudly, holding the child out to Optimus and Elita. "You have a baby boy."

Elita takes the sparkling, cradling him in her arms with a look of such bafflement that Ari can't help but chuckle through her own tears. Optimus looks no better, but with a little bit of fear in his optics.

He's so worried he won't be a good father. But when Elita hands their son over, the sparkling fitting in the palm of his hand and his entire face just _softens_ , Ari knows he'll be okay.

Ironhide and Chromia are next, the AllSpark power branching unexpectedly to envelope two tanks, not just the one she stands in front of, and she knows she was right about the twins. Ironhide just about faints at that but Chromia jumps on her wheel with glee, taking a girl in each arm. Mirage and Arcee end up with another boy and then Jazz and Moonracer end up with a girl, Jazz automatically declaring her his "lil' lady".

Euphoria mounts in the room, higher than the day the war ended. That day, with the memory of Cybertron dissipating from the sky, it almost didn't seem real. It was a long, long time before they stopped actively monitoring energon sensors, keeping a wary eye out for Decepticons. But _this_. This feels like victory, like change, like the beginning of a new future.

Hope burns brightly in all of their sparks, burning brightest in the optics of their five new sparklings.

Everyone gathers around, gushing at the babies who begin to fuss for energon. Ari watches it all from Sideswipe's shoulder, leaning against his head in contentment.

They've all gone through so much. But, in this moment, she thinks she finally might truly understand peace.

" _You feel happy,"_ Sideswipe says over the bond, nuzzling his head against her side. _"Happier than I've ever felt you before."_

" _I'm just so happy to have been here for all of this, Sides,"_ she says, chuckling as the "lil' lady" attempts to squirm right out of Jazz's arms despite his attempts to keep a hold of her.

" _This has been…very beautiful. I really didn't think I'd live to see this day."_

" _No, I don't mean that. I mean…I'm so glad I got to meet all these people. Made all these friends. Make them my family. And now they're all finally getting the happiness they've always deserved."_

" _So you don't have any regrets? Even though you'll outlive many of them?"_

" _No."_ She can finally say that with a smile, no sadness in her heart. She's gotten through so much, always moving along towards a positive future, largely thanks to her large, crazy family. She never would have made it if not for them. She can say that with certainty. A day will come when she has to move along without some of them, and it'll be hard. But the happiness and joy and _love_ she's known by knowing them, she wouldn't give that up for the world. _"It'll be sad, when they go, but I could never give this up or regret it. And I will always be grateful for the time I have with them. Speaking of which, I believe I promised my family I'd be back in time for a shopping trip into Tranquility."_

He gives her a curious look out of the corner of his eye. _"You really want to just slip out? You don't want to stay and enjoy the party? I'm pretty sure Jazz is two seconds away from starting one."_

" _Nah, that's alright. I'll see them all again soon."_ She slips down from his shoulder into the cradle of his arms, pulling his head down for a kiss. More than anything, she knows she loves Sideswipe with all of her heart, and he loves her just the same. Being with him for the rest of her many, many days will be enough to keep her going through anything. He will keep her strong, even when hope is gone, even when she falls and feels she'll never be able to pull herself up again. He is her rock, her constant, her first and only love, her sparkmate, her husband, her friend. With him by her side, she can do anything.

" _Let's go home."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate Odin, always have, he's a jerk to just about everybody and doesn't mellow out until it's far too late to do any good. Writing Ari giving him a dressing down was deeply satisfying.
> 
> But the rest of it. I struggled so hard to give everyone a happy ending. Since none of them have really found it in the movies. But writing that scene with Optimus getting his little sparkling, guys, my chest just feels so full.
> 
> I wish they'd give him this in the movies. That mech certainly deserves it.
> 
> I almost don't want to end it here. A part of me wants to find some excuse to get Ari back in the game, some emergency, some big evil that will draw them all together again. But I know this is the end. They all have their peace, and I'm not about to take it from them.
> 
> This is my final fic for the Move Along series. This is truly The End.
> 
> So it is time to say goodbye.
> 
> To those of you who have been here since the first chapter of Move Along, I want to say thank you. You guys have been with me every step of the way, through every up and down, watching practically right along side me as I developed Ari into the character she is today.
> 
> To those of you who stumbled onto this in the middle, you guys are the ones who kept me going. Seeing more people join this little world of mine and offering encouragement when I wasn't sure where I was going with this meant more to me than I can say.
> 
> And to those of you who are only just now find this series, you guys are lucky fraggers since you didn't have to put up with my horrible cliffhangers too much. (Admit it, you guys love my cliffhangers.) But I'm glad you made it here anyway and enjoyed this roller coaster of a ride.
> 
> It really has been a roller coaster. I'm so glad and thankful you all road it with me. And I hope you ride it again and again, rereading Ari's story whenever you need her. She'll always be here. Thank you for helping me bring her to life.
> 
> Thank you all for being my readers.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE COMMENT, and see you all next time, whatever the next story turns out to be.


End file.
